CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Cathedrals (Maintenance and Restoration)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much was spent in 2004–05 on maintaining and restoring the fabric of cathedrals in England.

Stuart Bell: A 2004–05 figure is not available. However, a 2004 survey suggested that the average annual amount spent on the repair and maintenance of cathedrals is £11 million.

Fairtrade

Philip Hollobone: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the Church Commissioners' policy is on purchasing fair trade products for its offices.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have been purchasing Fairtrade products for at least six years.
	The Commissioners have been purchasing Fairtrade products for at least six years.

Flying Bishops

Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what percentage of the parishes in the provinces of (a) Canterbury and (b) York are in the pastoral care of flying bishops.

Stuart Bell: At 31 March 2004, 1.5 per cent. of parishes in the Province of Canterbury, and 3.1 per cent. of parishes in the Province of York had petitioned for extended episcopal ministry and received this from the three Provincial Episcopal Visitors. The respective totals including those receiving episcopal ministry from other bishops as well were 2.1 per cent. and 3.3 per cent.
	Further details are available in Appendix 7 of the recently published report from the House of Bishops' Women Bishops Group (GS 1605).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Rural Payments Agency

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs What assessment she has made of the efficiency of the Rural Payments Agency.

Margaret Beckett: The Rural Payments Agency is modernising its systems and processes to deliver the single payment scheme (SPS). It is estimated that the cost of processing £1.6 billion of claims will be 5.4 pence in the pound. This compares favourably with the cost of administering the schemes SPS replaces which in 2004–05 was 5.7 pence in the pound.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs If she will make a statement on the implementation of the single farm payment scheme.

Margaret Beckett: The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight) announced on 31 January that full payments under the single payment scheme will commence in February 2006. Staff are working exceedingly hard to ensure that this expectation is turned into a reality.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of single farm payments she expects to have been paid by the end of February 2006.

Margaret Beckett: The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight) confirmed on 31 January that SPS payments will commence before the end of February, with the bulk of payments being made by the end of March.

Nuclear Waste

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her latest estimate is of the costs associated with the management of the stockpile of radioactive waste; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The total cost of operating, cleaning up and decommissioning the UK's publicly owned civil nuclear sites, for which the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has been given responsibility, is currently estimated at £56 billion. This figure includes the costs of interim management of waste arising from decommissioning and clean-up activity. The cost of any facility, or facilities that will be needed in light of CoRWM recommendation for the final long-term management higher activity wastes will be additional to this.

Habitats Directive

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK's obligations under the habitats directive are met.

Ben Bradshaw: A small number of legislative changes are in hand, to meet a recent European Court of Justice ruling,. But of course the UK has already done more than virtually any other EU member state in meeting the policy objectives behind the directive by protecting and enhancing our terrestrial and marine biodiversity.

Canoeing

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the access of canoeists to rivers and waterways.

Elliot Morley: Canoeists currently have access to around 27 per cent. of our major areas of inland water, and research suggests that overall supply meets demand. But we are working with partners to develop more opportunities for access in the future.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed closure of the Banchory station of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology on climate change research.

Elliot Morley: Staff at the Banchory station of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) carry out important monitoring and scientific research on the impacts of climate change on plants and animals. Links between biodiversity and climate change remain a priority for the new CEH. Future research work in this area will be carried out in even closer collaboration with universities, through a proposed new partnership funding initiative.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact on wildlife research of the National Environment Research Council's plans for the future organisation of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Elliot Morley: The Government are fully committed to maintaining the quality of environmental science in the UK and provides funding to the Natural Environment Research Council for this purpose. NERC is currently consulting widely with stakeholders on proposals on how best the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology can contribute on a sustainable basis to this. I am sure that NERC Council will consider all evidence and views on the potential impact of the proposals, including any impact on wildlife research. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology will continue to deliver its contractual commitments to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs arid other Government Department and agencies.

Warm Front Scheme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the operation of the warm homes scheme in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland.

Elliot Morley: The Warm Front Scheme has already provided assistance to 3,573 homes in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland through a range of insulation and heating measures and energy efficiency advice. We continue to work with Eaga Partnership, the scheme manager, to ensure the effective delivery of the scheme across the country.

Climate Change

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she has made with the review of the UK climate change programme.

Elliot Morley: We are aiming to publish the revised UK climate change programme as soon as possible this year.

Climate Change

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on progress towards meeting climate change targets.

Margaret Beckett: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on our progress towards meeting both our international and domestic climate change targets as part of the climate change review process, through our involvement in the Sustainable Energy Policy Network and the EE Committee.

Animal Welfare

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will implement the recommendation contained in paragraph 200 in the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report Welfare of farmed animals at slaughter or killing", published in 2003.

Ben Bradshaw: No.

Beef

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on the cattle market of a delay in lifting the ban on the export of British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: I can confirm that, in 2005, Defra commissioned a report from the Meat and Livestock Commission assessing any risks and the market impact of the lifting of the over-30-month rule.
	My officials and I are also closely monitoring the UK market situation as well as the overall EU beef market, since the full re-introduction of post-August 1996 cattle to the food chain on 23 January. In the unlikely event of any substantial and sustained fall in the market price we have the option of pressing the EU Commission's Beef Management Committee for a temporary exceptional market support measure.
	Current indications are that the full re-introduction of over-30-month beef from cattle born after 1 August 1996 has passed largely without incident. The impact on market prices will become clearer once they have been collected and published after the first full week of trading.

Bird Keepers

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the (a) number of bird keepers in the UK and (b) percentage of birds of wild origin they keep.

Jim Knight: The Department holds information on the number and locations of larger poultry businesses. In addition the Great Britain Poultry Register was established in December 2005 to gather more information about particular species of birds held on commercial premises with 50 or more birds. Owners with less than 50 birds are also encouraged to register on a voluntary basis.
	However, we do not hold information on other bird keepers or the number and percentage of wild birds kept in the UK.

Bovine TB

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons her Department has refused Mrs. Kremers of New Park Farm, Ogwell, Devon the option of paying for a second TB test for an animal that tested positive to the initial tuberculin skin test; and by what means Mrs. Kremers can appeal against this decision.

Ben Bradshaw: The current skin test for bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an effective test. It is the accepted standard laid down in both national and international legislation for determining the existence of disease in a cattle herd.
	The Tuberculosis (England and Wales) Order 1984 requires cattle failing the tuberculin test, and those considered to have been direct contacts exposed to TB, to be compulsorily slaughtered. There is no provision for a second TB test nor is there a mechanism for appeals.

CAP Entitlements (Trading)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether trading of common agricultural policy entitlements is allowable in advance of payments being made by the Rural Payments Agency.

Jim Knight: Trading can only take place once entitlements have been established. The Rural Payments Agency has launched a pre-registration system for those claimants who intend to trade entitlements once they have received their entitlement notification.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the total level of funding for the countryside stewardship scheme was in the 2004 agreement year;
	(2)  how many live agreements providing public access there were in (a) the 2004 agreement year and (b) from the scheme's inception to November 2005;
	(3)  how many hectares were in live agreements under the countryside stewardship scheme which provided public access (a) in the agreement year 2004 and (b) from the scheme's inception to November 2005;
	(4)  how much funding was provided for live agreements providing public access under the countryside stewardship scheme (a) in the agreement year 2004 and (b) from the scheme's inception to November 2005.

Jim Knight: I cannot provide the information requested within a reasonable time. I will write to the right hon. Member to provide a detailed answer to his questions when we have the information and will place a copy in the Library of the House and on the DEFRA website.

Departmental Website

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of maintaining her main departmental website was for the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to the site in each of the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: For our main website, www.defra.gov.uk direct operating costs—staff costs for the central team with lead responsibility for updating and maintaining websites—are estimated to be around £352,000 for the current financial year. Additional costs arise from the activities of staff in business units across the Department, contributing to the content of websites but the cost for this cannot be readily calculated . Website hosting services—as well as a range of IT applications—are provided as part of DEFRA's overall IT service provision and the costs cannot be disaggregated.
	The number of visitors per month to the website during 2005 was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 January 230,000 
			 February 230,000 
			 March 270,000 
			 April 270,000 
			 May 260,000 
			 June 240,000 
			 July 230,000 
			 August 250,000 
			 September 260,000 
			 October 320,000 
			 November 320,000 
			 December 270,000

Emissions Trading

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the national allocation plan for the second phase of the EU emissions trading scheme.

Elliot Morley: A national allocation plan (NAP) with a final installation level-allocation for Phase II of the EU ETS (2008 to 2012) must be submitted to the European Commission by 31 December 2006. The European Commission recently published its revised guidance for Phase II of the EU ETS, and we are now assessing the impacts of this guidance on the development of our NAP. A draft policy NAP is due to be published this spring.

External Consultants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has paid since 2004 to external consultants who had previously been employed by the Department in any capacity within the previous five years.

Jim Knight: External consultants are not employed by the Department but provide consultancy services under contracts for services. The Department does not hold records centrally of how much it has paid since 2004 to external consultants who had previously been employed by the Department in any capacity within the previous five years, and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role her Department is playing in the Government's commitment to eradicate fuel poverty.

Elliot Morley: Defra plays a leading role in taking forward the Government's commitment to tackle fuel poverty. This is reflected in our PSA target, wording of which is shared with DTI, which endorses the commitment to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, in vulnerable households in England by 2010.
	Defra is responsible for the Warm Front Scheme, which is the key tool for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England. Since its launch in June 2000 it has assisted more than 1 million households with a range of insulation and heating measures and energy efficiency advice. The new phase of the scheme, launched in June 2005, is better equipped to target and assist those most in need in a sustainable way.
	Funding for Warm Front was enhanced by the announcement in the pre-Budget report 2005 of an additional £250 million for Warm Front in the period 2005–08.
	The Department works closely with colleagues across Government who have an interest in this area including the Departments of Trade and Industry, Work and Pensions and Health, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasury as well as the Devolved Administrations. This ensures that all areas which impact on our ability to tackle fuel poverty—energy efficiency, income and fuel cost—can be fully considered and appropriate action taken.

IBM, Guildford

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2376W, on departmental transport, if her Department will make a representation to IBM to instruct its employees not to park in residential roads near the site on the Epsom road, Merrow, Guildford.

Jim Knight: Official representations have been made to IBM to gain their co-operation in asking their employees not to park in surrounding roads.
	DEFRA are carrying out daily patrols in the local roads to try to identify vehicles which belong to IBM employees. Drivers or their line managers are then contacted and asked to move their vehicles even though these may be parked legally.

Marine Environment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the protection of the marine environment.

Ben Bradshaw: Both I and my officials have had extensive discussions with various colleagues in other Government Departments (and also with the devolved administrations) on a range of domestic and international issues concerning the protection of the marine environment, not least in preparing the Government's proposals for the Marine Bill.

Protected Species

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about the species included in the list in Schedule 9 of the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981.

Jim Knight: holding answer 30 January 2005
	The Government have undertaken a review of Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as it applies to England and Wales, and sought comments on retaining Schedule 9 in its current form and making it the subject of an early review. The responses we have received as part of this review are overwhelmingly in support of the retention of Schedule 9, with some suggested additions for both Part I (animals) and Part II (plants). We will be issuing a consultation document later this year which will proposed amendments to Schedule 9, informed by these responses.

Single Farm Payment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers in Lancashire will receive the single farm payment on the original timetable.

Jim Knight: As I announced on 31 January, the Rural Payments Agency will start making full payments under the single payment scheme in February with the bulk of payments being made in March. This is in line with announcements made in January 2005, and well within the regulatory payment window, which runs from 1 December 2005 to 30 June 2006.

Single Farm Payment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates the UK Government received funds for the Single Farm Payment from the EU.

Jim Knight: Common Agricultural Policy funding is reimbursed by the European Commission two months after the end of the month in which the payments to claimants are made. No funds for the Single Payment Scheme have therefore been received.

Water Supplies

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure safe and sufficient water supplies in the south-east.

Elliot Morley: Water companies have statutory duties with regard to water supply and have produced drought and water resource plans in liaison with the Environment Agency. Under the Water Act 2003, these plans are now being made statutory. We have asked the Environment Agency to monitor and report on the developing drought in the south-east.

Woodland

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to use native woodland creation to tackle (a) habitat fragmentation, (b) flooding and (c) climate change.

Jim Knight: Our statement of policy for England's ancient and native woodlands Keepers of Time" which we published last year sets out a number of strategic objectives which include the creation of new native woodland to extend, link arid complement existing woodland and other habitats. It also sets the objective of increasing the recognition and use of 'environmental services' which native woodland can provide, for example flood alleviation and pollution mitigation.
	The England forestry strategy review and the review of the UK climate change programme are looking at how existing policies are performing and the range of polices that might be put in place in the future.

Woodland

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much woodland has been created in each year since 1995; and how much of this is broadleaved.

Jim Knight: The area of new woodland creation in England comes principally from the area of Forestry Commission grant aided planting and new woodland planting on the public forest estate. In addition a relatively small area is planted without grant aid and this is assumed to be entirely broadleaved. The total area created with and without incentives is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Total new woodland creation thousands of hectares Broadleaved woodland thousands of hectares Broadleaved woodland as percentage of all new planting 
		
		
			 1995–96 4.7 4.3 91 
			 1996–97 4.7 4.2 88 
			 1997–98 4.4 3.8 87 
			 1998–99 5.1 4.4 85 
			 1999–2000 5.9 5.2 87 
			 2000–01 5.9 5.2 89 
			 2001–02 5.4 4.7 87 
			 2002–03 5.9 5.4 91 
			 2003–04 4.6 4.4 96 
			 2004–05 5.3 5.1 96

Woodland

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase woodland cover in England.

Jim Knight: Our target is to create 30,000 hectares of new woodland over the seven-year period, 2000–06, of the England rural development programme. In the period 1 January 2000–31 December 2005, 28,262 hectares of new woodland has been planted.
	The successor to the current programme is being developed and a public consultation document will be published soon. New woodland creation is expected to remain a feature of the programme but at this stage we do not have a target area.
	The revised England forestry strategy and the revision of the UK biodiversity action plan native woodland creation target are both expected to be published later this year and will provide more details of our plans for woodland cover in England.

Woodland

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage farmers to plant trees.

Jim Knight: Incentives to promote the planting of trees in England are part of the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) which combines and replaces incentives for the establishment of new woodland that were available under the Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS) and Defra's Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS). Defra's Environmental Stewardship Scheme will build on past achievements by providing incentives for small-scale tree planting.
	In addition to these England-wide schemes there are various regional and local initiatives aimed at increasing tree cover; notably the National Forest in the Midlands and the 12 Community Forest partnerships based close to urban areas.

Woodland

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of England is covered by ancient woodland; and what steps she has taken to halt its decline.

Jim Knight: In June last year I launched Keepers of Time: a statement policy for England's ancient and native woodland", which at around 340,000 hectares makes up just under 3 per cent. of our land area.
	Our vision is that ancient woodlands, veteran trees and other native woodlands are adequately protected, sustainably managed in a wider landscape context, and are providing a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits to society.
	The Action Plan for 2005–07, which accompanied the policy statement, set out a broad range of actions aimed at achieving our strategic objectives, which includes halting the decline.

PRIME MINISTER

Hospitality (Expenditure)

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how much he has spent on hospitality in each year since he became Prime Minister; and what proportion was spent on alcohol.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Bassam of Brighton to the noble Lord Hanningfield on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column WA261.
	For 2002–03 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1087W.
	For 2001–02 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 564W.
	For figures up to the period of 2001–02, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1444–48W.

Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff were employed in his Office in each year since he became Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: For the number of staff on the No. 10 payroll for the period up to 1 April 2003 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) on 30 June 2003, Official Report, column 56W.
	For the number of staff on the No. 10 payroll for the remaining period up to 1 April 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 163- 64W.

Official Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how much he has spent on air travel in each year since he became Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1661W.

Official Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost was of his official travel in each year since he became Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1660–61W.

Official Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost was of his overnight accommodation during official travel in each year since he became Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	However in respect of overseas travel, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in Chapter 10 of the ministerial code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers". Information for the year 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the financial year.

Royal Audiences

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what matters he has raised at audiences with HM The Queen in the course of the present Parliament;
	(2)  how matters to be raised by him at audiences with HM the Queen are selected.

Tony Blair: Discussions with Her Majesty the Queen are not disclosed.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

2012 Business Summit

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) companies, (b) trade bodies, (c) regional development agencies, (d) trades unions and (e) local authorities represented at the 2012 Business Summit held in London on 24 January.

Tessa Jowell: Given that many of the organisations represented at the 2012 Business Summit do not fit easily into the categories included in the question, the following is a complete alphabetical list of all attending organisations.
	3M United Kingdom plc
	Accenture
	ADT Fire and Security plc
	Advantage West Midlands
	Alfred McAlpine
	AMEC Design and Project Services
	Amey Ventures Limited
	AMICUS
	Anschutz Entertainment Group
	Arts & Business
	Arup
	ASLEF
	Association of Colleges London Region
	Association of Consultancy and Engineering
	Association of Police and Public Security Suppliers
	Atkins
	ATOS Origin
	Australian Trade Commission
	Aviva plc
	BAA plc
	Balfour Beatty plc
	Barclays Bank plc
	Barratt Thames Gateway
	Bechtel Limited
	Bell Pottinger Public Affairs
	Bennetts Associates
	Berwin Leighton Paisner
	Biffa Waste Services
	British Olympic Association
	British Airways
	British Chambers of Commerce
	British Consultants and Obstruction Bureau
	British Library
	British Security Industry Association
	Brunswick Group LLP
	BT
	Building Design Partnership
	Buro Happold
	Business Redbridge
	Cable and Wireless UK
	Cadbury Schweppes
	Camelot Group plc
	Canary Wharf Group
	Capita Symonds
	Carillion Transport
	Chartered Institute of Marketing
	CITB-Construction Skills
	City of Westminster College
	Civil Engineering Contractors' Association
	Cleanevent UK
	Commission for Racial Equality
	COMMUNITY
	Compass Group
	Confederation of British Industry
	Conran Holdings
	Constructing Excellence
	Construction Clients' Group
	Construction Confederation
	Construction Equipment Association
	Construction Industry Council
	Construction Products Association
	Contemporary Group
	Corporation of London
	Corus
	Cory Environmental
	Costain plc
	CPT UK Ltd.
	David Lloyd Leisure/Whitbread
	David Wilson Homes
	Davies Tanner
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Department for Education and Skills
	Department for Trade and Industry
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Diageo
	Docklands Business Club
	Drivers Jonas
	E.ON UK
	Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College
	East London Business Alliance
	East of England Development Agency
	East Potential
	EC Harris LLP
	EDF Energy
	Employers' Forum on Disability
	English Institute of Sport
	Equal Opportunities Commission
	Ernst and Young LLP
	ESAB Group
	Exel
	FD Tamesis
	Federation of Master Builders
	Fortis Bank
	Forum of Private Business
	Foster Yeoman
	Franklin + Andrews
	Freshminds
	German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce
	Goodmarriott & Hursthouse Ltd.
	Government Office for London
	Government Office for the South West
	Greater London Authority
	Greenwich Leisure Ltd.
	Group 4 Securicor
	Hanson PLC
	Health and Safety Executive
	Herbert Smith LLP
	HM Treasury
	HSBC Bank plc
	HSP Group
	IBM (UK) Limited
	Instant Offices Group
	Interim Olympic Delivery Authority
	Invest Northern Ireland
	JCB
	Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
	KPMG
	Laing O'Rourke
	Lane4
	Learning and Skills Council
	Leaside Regeneration Ltd
	Lewisham College
	Linklaters
	Lodestar
	London & Continental Stations & Property Ltd.
	London Borough of Hackney
	London Borough of Islington
	London Borough of Newham
	London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
	London City Airport
	London Communications Agency
	London Development Agency
	London First
	London Organising Committee for the Olympic Cannes
	London Sustainability Exchange
	LP Architects
	Mace Limited
	Marks and Spencer plc
	Martineau Johnson
	Medius
	Mitsubishi Corporation
	Morgan Walker Solicitors LLP
	Mott MacDonald
	Mowlem plc
	Multiplex
	National Audit Office
	National Grid
	National Specialist Contractors Council
	Network Rail
	Northwest Regional Development Agency
	Office of Government Commerce
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
	OGC Buying Solutions
	Olympic Board Secretariat
	ONE North East
	Oracle Corporation UK Ltd.
	Ordnance Survey
	Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd.
	Partnerships UK
	Peabody Trust
	Pinsent Masons
	PIPT Ltd.
	PMP
	Portland Port Group
	Professional Lighting and Sound Association
	Prospects Services Ltd.
	Qinetiq
	Radio Taxis Group Ltd.
	Reeve Hepburn
	Renewable Energy Association
	River and Rowing Museum
	Royal Bank of Scotland Group
	Royal Institute of British Architects
	Rural Cultural Forum
	Sainsbury's
	Scottish and Southern Energy
	Shell
	Sir Robert McAlpine
	Skanska Integrated Projects
	Skills Festival Company
	Sodexho
	Somerset House Trust
	South East England Development Agency
	South London Business
	South West Regional Development Agency
	Specialist Engineering Contractors Group
	Sponsorship Consulting Limited
	Sport England
	Sports Impact Ltd.
	SportsAid
	SportScotland
	Sportspulse
	Strategic Forum for Construction
	Sustainable Development Commission
	Taylor Woodrow Construction
	Thales UK
	Thames Gateway Learning and Skills Council
	Thames Gateway London Partnership
	Thames Valley University
	Thames Water
	THB Clowes
	Think London
	Thistle Hotels Ltd.
	Tourism Tourism
	Trade and Invest Wales
	Trades Union Congress
	Transport and General Workers' Union
	Turner and Townsend Construction and Management
	UCATT
	UK Trade & Investment
	United Utilities Contract Solutions
	University of East London
	VISA Europe
	Visit London
	VisitBritain
	Wates Construction
	Willmott Dixon Construction
	Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc
	Wolseley UK
	WPIP
	Wragge & Co LLP
	WWF-UK

Casinos

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether guidance has been produced on alcohol (a) served and (b) consumed on the gaming floor area of new casinos licensed under the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: No such guidance has yet been produced in relation to the new casinos permitted by the Gambling Act 2005. The Gambling Commission has published guidance in relation to alcohol on the gaming floor of casinos licensed under the 1968 Act, and the regulation of alcohol provision in the new casinos will be developed from this model.
	If it becomes clear that alcohol is becoming a problem in either existing casinos or those new casinos permitted by the 2005 Act, there are powers under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005 to stop it being served.

Cricket

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was allocated to cricket through (a) the Sports Council, (b) the national lottery and (c) other Government funding in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: Funding for cricket is allocated through Sport England. The table sets out the funding allocated in each of the last five years.
	
		Table 1: Funding for cricket 2001–02 to 2005–06
		
			  English cricket board award Lottery Community club development programme 
		
		
			 2001–02 522,000 7,519,883 — 
			 2002–03 224,000 15,381,677 — 
			 2003–04 120,833 10,400,024 (2)9,400,000 
			 2004–05 618,750 2,530,717  
			 2005–06 (1)611,000 508,684  
			 Totals 2,096,583 36,340,985 9,400,000 
		
	
	(1) ECB funding for 2005–06 from 1 April to 30 September 2005
	(2) CCDP funding for period 2003–04 to 2005–06

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual expenditure on (a) fixtures and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of (i) her Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body and (B) executive agency, (C) other public body for which her Department is responsible in each English region in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case.

David Lammy: Expenditure by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on fixtures and fittings was £477,000 in 2002–03, £475,000 in 2003–04 and £335,000 in 2004–05; with planned expenditure of £100,000 in 2005 -06.
	The term general office expenses" is neither used as part of the Department's accounting procedures, nor those of the Royal Parks Agency.
	Annual expenditure by the Department on office equipment, including computers, was £938,000 in 2002–03, £958,000 in 2003–04, £1,100,000 in 2004–05; with planned expenditure of £350,000 in 2005–06.
	The Royal Parks Agency's accounts do not identify separately figures for fixtures and fittings and attempts to provide these would be at disproportionate cost.
	Annual expenditure by the Royal Parks Agency on office equipment, including computers, was £11,000 in both 2002–03 and 2003–04, £23,000 in 2004–05, with planned expenditure of £23,000 in 2005–06.
	Information requested in respect of the non departmental public bodies could be obtained at disproportionate cost.

English National Opera

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to English National Opera on severance payments for senior executives.

David Lammy: I have issued no guidance to English National Opera on severance payments for senior executives.

Football

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to continue to promote an anti-racist message through football in (a) Swindon and (b) England.

Richard Caborn: Swindon Town Football Club gives its full backing to the national anti-racism campaigns, Kick It Out and Show Racism The Red Card. The club promotes the campaigns on match days and they liaise with the local authority and local schools to convey the anti-racism message.
	My Department continues to support these anti-racism campaigns such as Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card through funding for the Football Foundation which will receive £45 million in Government money between 2004 and 2007. We are also working closely with the Commission for Racial Equality who are developing race equality action plans with the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League, the Professional Footballers Association and the Football Foundation.

Football

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of Swindon's Football in the Community scheme.

Richard Caborn: DCMS has made no official assessment of Swindon's Football in the Community scheme but is delighted that professional clubs continue to work in their local areas to promote football and provide opportunities for a wide range of people.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the statement at her Department's Olympic summit on 24 January, if she will provide a breakdown by main budget heading of the £3.3 billion cost of infrastructure.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 30 January 2006
	The figure of £3 billion that I mentioned on 24 January comprises £2 billion for the Olympic venues and infrastructure to be met from the Public Sector Funding Package. The other £1 billion is to meet the costs of infrastructure works already planned and budgeted as part of the general regeneration of the lower Lea valley.

Olympics 2012

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many events there will be at the London 2012 Olympics; and which of these events will be open to women competitors.

Tessa Jowell: There are planned to be 26 sports in the programme for the 2012 Olympic games and all, except the boxing competition, will be open to women competitors. There are planned to be 19 sports in the programme for the 2012 Paralympic games, all of which will be open to women competitors.

Olympics 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the liaison bodies established between her Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to arrangements for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic games have met; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic delivery group, the Olympic projects review group and the Olympic board steering group meet regularly at approximately two-week intervals.
	The inter-departmental steering group and the network of Olympic co-ordinators will meet on a quarterly basis.

Paralympics

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to (a) promote awareness of the Paralympic Games and (b) maximise the potential opportunities for people with disabilities taking part in sport as a consequence of the Paralympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: We are committed to working with others to maximise media coverage and exposure of the Paralympic Games and to promoting the Games nationwide. In 2012, the Olympic stakeholders will implement an innovative promotional programme for the Paralympic Games that generates excitement among a wide range of audiences. Among those specifically targeted will be schools, community groups, sports clubs and special interest groups.
	The Paralympic Games in 2012 will motivate more people with disabilities in the UK to take part in sport. We will work with Sport England to sustain this legacy after 2012, in line with our commitment to increase sports participation for disabled people. This will include greater access to modern facilities and greater awareness and interest in healthier lifestyles. There will also be support, training, new career opportunities for coaches and volunteers, and visibility for sports that are not currently widely played in the UK.

Public Libraries

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the (a) recent and (b) likely closure of public libraries.

David Lammy: We are monitoring the situation closely and I have written to all leaders of the 149 library authorities in England to remind them of their statutory obligations. Primarily, the operation of library services are a matter for determination by the elected representatives of the parent authorities. However, public libraries are valuable community assets and local decision makers should think carefully about what might be lost through closures.

RNIB Talking Books

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities subsidised the cost of Royal National Institute for the Blind Talking Books on the most recent date for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Government do not hold this information centrally; however, according to the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), 131 English local authorities subscribe to the RNIB talking books scheme.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

China/Ethiopia/Burma

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in (a) China, (b) Ethiopia and (c) Burma.

Hilary Benn: There is no humanitarian emergency in China. The country has made dramatic progress in reducing absolute poverty over the last 25 years, with over 450 million people lifted out of poverty. There are, however, still 135 million people below the poverty line and progress towards some of the Millennium Development Goals is slower than expected. The DFID programme focuses on increasing access to basic education, water and sanitation and basic health services, and on tackling HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis.
	In Ethiopia, 2.6 million people in, especially in the Somali, Afar and Oromia regions, have been badly affected by the drought and will need humanitarian assistance in 2006. The Government of Ethiopia and UN agencies issued an appeal on 23 January 2006, with particular emphasis on non-food needs such as health, nutrition, water, sanitation and livestock. We are considering our response. We will also continue to support the Government of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Nets Programme which provides assistance to those communities and households most vulnerable to crop failure by enabling them to invest in assets like clothes and livestock, or to build roads or protect water supplies.
	Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia. It is not on track to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals. There is little reliable data but we know that many of Burma's 50 million people face poverty and vulnerability. We provide £500,000 a year humanitarian assistance through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support displaced people in Eastern Burma.

Kenya

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcomes were of the discussions on increased private sector investment and growth in Kenya held on his recent visit there.

Hilary Benn: I did not have any formal discussions regarding private sector development on my recent visit to Kenya. However, I did hold discussions on governance and corruption. We will continue to push on these issues to create a better climate for investment. More widely, DFID has been engaged for a number of years on private sector development in Kenya and, with our assistance, the Government of Kenya is soon to publish a Private Sector Development Strategy and a Financial Sector Strategy, and is implementing a Strategy for the Revitalisation of Agriculture.

Natural Disasters

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether vulnerability to natural disasters is considered as one of the criteria in the development of aid programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Vulnerability is a factor which DFID takes into account in allocating aid to particular countries. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), approximately half of the world's least developed countries face high levels of natural disaster risk and the impact on poor people is increasing. It is important that developing countries ensure that their planning includes efforts to minimise the impact of risk and respond more effectively when disasters occur. DFID has produced a new policy outlining our approach to disaster risk reduction which will be published shortly.
	DFID is funding significant disaster risk reduction programmes in countries susceptible to disasters. For example, we are providing over £60 million to support disaster preparedness in Orissa, India. In Bangladesh, with the UNDP, we are supporting the development of the government's Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme which is helping to improve legislation, programming and co-ordination across government ministries on disaster risk reduction.
	DFID is also providing support for the international disaster risk reduction system. We are one of the leading donors to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, contributing around £1 million per year and we are providing £3.75 million to support the Pan American Health Organisations' work in the Caribbean to reduce the vulnerability of the health sector to disasters. Our support to the disaster risk reduction work of the Red Cross and international non-governmental organisations totals over £16 million.

Palestinian Authority

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid and assistance the UK is giving to the Palestinian Authority.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development's (DFID) programme of assistance to the Palestinians aims to enhance the prospects for peace, make Palestinian governance and institutions more effective and accountable, and encourage more co-ordinated delivery of humanitarian and development assistance. In 2005–06 our programme has included:
	Support to the Palestinian Negotiations Support Unit;
	Technical advice on public administration and civil service reform;
	Humanitarian assistance to Palestinian Refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; and
	Budget support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) through the World Bank Reform Trust Fund.
	This is in addition to assistance provided through the UK Government's Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP).
	Given the current political uncertainty in the occupied Palestinian territories we are reviewing how we can best support the peace process and economic development.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will reply to question number 42471 tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for Cotswold to the response I gave on 30 January 2006, Official Report, columns 13–14W.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

0870 Numbers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 291W, on 0870 numbers, what contractual arrangements his Department has for the provision of non-profit making 0870 lines.

Alun Michael: Cable and Wireless provide the 0870 lines deployed directly by the Department of Trade and Industry. Under current arrangements the threshold for revenue to return to the Department is set at 359,999 call minutes per year for each 0870 line. The low volume of calls on the 0870 lines means that these thresholds have not been reached.
	These services can be terminated with three months notice. Other 0870 lines are supplied by BT and managed by sub-contractors through two DTI funded contracts providing support for UK bidders into the EU's sixth Framework Programme for RTD. These BT lines attracted set up charges of up to £250 per number and continue to attract rental charges of £200 per annum, which is absorbed into the overall cost of the contracts. Calls to these numbers are charged at national rate, so are not revenue earning for either DTI or our contractors. The two contracts are due to run until the end of 2006.

Administrative Costs

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the administrative costs were of each agency for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

Alan Johnson: Administrative costs (net) for the Department's Agencies for 2004–05 are:
	
		
			  £000s 
		
		
			 Small Business Service (SBS) 18,036 
			 Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) 27,593 
			 Insolvency Service (INSS) 71 
			 National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) (108) 
		
	
	The figures for SBS and ETS are taken from their annual reports and resource accounts (HC 371 and HC 180 respectively). The figures for INSS and NWML are taken from the provisional departmental administration costs outturns disclosed in the most recent Public Expenditure" White Paper (CMD 6639) as their net administration costs are not readily identifiable from their resource accounts.
	For the purposes of the country and regional analysis exercise, from which data is disclosed in chapter 8 of the annual public expenditure statistical analyses, the costs of the Employment Tribunals Service are regarded as identifiable, those of the Insolvency Service and National Weights and Measures Laboratory as non-identifiable.

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Alan Johnson: In 2005, my Department ran an internal competition for children of DTI employees to design the official corporate Christmas card. This resulted in only minimal costs for artwork to clean up and scan the winning design.
	Total costs for printing 4,500 cards was therefore £1,575.
	Specific costs for postage are not accessible (these cards are posted along with regular DTI mail). However, based on second class postage and the amount of cards printed:
	21p per letter x 4,500 cards printed: £945
	Overall costs are therefore estimated at £2,520.
	All expenditure incurred was made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, as set out in Government Accounting.

Consultants/Specialists

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Department spent on (a) marketing consultants and (b) employment and recruitment specialists in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The information on these categories of expenditure for 2003–04 (actual), 2004–05 (actual) and 2005–06 (spend to date), is as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Marketing consultants  
			 2003–04 14,742,791 
			 2004–05 12,311,497 
			 2005–06 7,792,880 
			   
			 Employment/recruitment consultants  
			 2003–04 1,087,321 
			 2004–05 1,239,444 
			 2005–06 432,935 
		
	
	Information for years pre 2003–04 is not readily available on a centralised basis and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of 26 October 2005 on behalf of Lesley Clarke.

Alan Johnson: I apologise to my right hon. Friend for the delay in responding. The issues raised cover the responsibilities of two other departments and officials are collating a response with contributions from those departments. I hope to respond in the near future.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 9 November 2005.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The letter from the hon. Member has been delayed by an administrative error, for which I apologise. A response will be sent shortly.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer the letter to him dated 13 December 2005 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs J. Lyth.

Alan Johnson: I apologise for the delay in responding to this letter. I intend to reply in the next few days.

Departmental Conferences

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) guidelines and (b) criteria are used in his Department for the production and purchase of branded materials for distribution at conferences held in the Department.

Alan Johnson: My Department produces publicity materials in accordance with its branding rules. These set out how DTI's communications should appear visually.
	The production and purchase of branded materials are usually considered on a case-by-case basis—depending on the purpose and objectives of a conference. It should be noted that DTI complies with conventions on government communications, which include ensuring that they are conducted in an economic and appropriate way and that the costs are justifiable as expenditure of public funds.

Departmental Conferences

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it his policy to collect figures for the cost of branded goods commissioned for use by his Department; and if he will record these costs in his Department's annual accounts.

Alan Johnson: Within the DTI, financial expenditure is the devolved responsibility of individual directorates. Our policies surrounding the recording of expenditure and publishing in our annual reports conforms to Government accounting requirements.
	I have not made it policy to collect figures on items as specific as branded goods as these are generally an ad-hoc expense that is incurred for activities such as large exhibitions/conferences, not for standard DTI business. It should be noted that the DTI complies with conventions on Government communications which include ensuring that they are conducted in an economic and appropriate way and that the costs are justifiable as expenditure of public funds.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are taken by his Department to support staff with mental ill-health.

Alan Johnson: The DTI provides medical and other advice, through their Occupational Health Service and through disability management advisers and specialist assessors where appropriate, to identify the appropriate support for employees with medical conditions, including mental ill-health.

Departmental Staff

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many disciplinary actions against civil servants employed in his Department (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Disciplinary actions commenced Formal sanctions applied 
		
		
			 2001 20 20 
			 2002 19 16 
			 2003 61 53 
			 2004 81 70 
			 2005 93 76 
		
	
	The Department has procedures in place to deal with misconduct and poor behaviour. These are developed in consultation with the trade unions and are available to all staff, either on the Department's intranet or in hard copy.

Energy Supplies

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he has met officials of the National Union of Mineworkers and British local producers to discuss the future of energy supplies in the UK in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Since becoming Minister for Energy I have once met officials of the National Union of Mineworkers. I have had three other meetings with UK coal producers and other mining union representatives.

Identity Fraud

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what training his Department has provided for (a) front desk and (b) administrative staff in relation to identity fraud.

Alan Johnson: The Department contracts with a service provider for front desk and guarding services. It is a requirement of the contract for the service provider to ensure that their staff are fully trained to carry out their role. The training incorporates all those skills needed to provide counter measures against unauthorised access or threat to the departmental assets.
	Other staff are trained to carry out a number of checks as part of the normal departmental recruitment procedures. These checks aim to positively establish identity and obtain background information on the subject by taking up references.

Marine Bill

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1767W, on the Marine Bill, what meetings his Department held with (a) other Government Departments, (b) industry representatives and (c) other stakeholders; and when the meetings took place.

Malcolm Wicks: The possibility of a Marine Bill has been under consideration for some time and has arisen in discussion at numerous meetings at which DTI has been represented, particularly in connection with offshore energy. It has been discussed at regular meetings of groups which bring together the marine renewables industry and offshore oil and gas industries with other stakeholders including fishing interests, shipping and ports groups and environmental non-governmental organisations. DTI officials are also members of Defra's inter-departmental Marine Bill steering group.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each of the English regions and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.

Alan Johnson: In 2000 the Department of Trade and Industry transferred ownership of its core IT infrastructure as part of a long-term private finance initiative (PFI) agreement to a consortium led by Fujitsu. The use of IT equipment such as PCs, laptops, servers, scanners and printers is now, in the main, provided as a service through the PFI partner, Fujitsu. The use of photocopiers is also provided mainly through supplier leasing arrangements. Details of fax machines owned by the Department are shown in the following table. The chief executives of the Department's Agencies have been asked to write to the hon. Member in respect of their equipment holdings.
	
		Department of Trade and Industry: fax machines -- Number
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 East Midlands 3 3 
			 Eastern 4 4 
			 London 214 183 
			 North East 12 12 
			 North West 2 2 
			 Scotland 10 10 
			 South East 3 3 
			 South West 4 4 
			 Wales 6 6 
			 West Midlands 4 4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 8 8 
			 Total 270 239 
		
	
	Letter from John Taylor, dated 2 February 2006
	The data about quantities and locations of Acas office equipment requested in this written Parliamentary Question are set out in the attached tables.
	
		ACAS equipment by location, 2003–04
		
			 Region Fax Laptop PC Photocopier Printer Scanner Server 
		
		
			 Scotland 14 12 75 3 39 0 1 
			 Wales 10 12 43 2 29 0 3 
			 East 20 14 43 3 28 0 1 
			 East Midlands 12 12 68 3 50 0 9 
			 London 109 349 537 11 313 5 33 
			 North East 11 33 42 3 22 0 1 
			 North West 39 29 110 4 59 0 2 
			 South East 58 27 114 2 80 1 5 
			 South West 14 12 63 2 31 1 2 
			 West Midlands 27 43 52 4 40 0 1 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 22 34 47 3 45 0 2 
			 Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grand Total 336 577 1,194 40 736 7 60 
		
	
	
		ACAS equipment by location, 2004–05
		
			 Region Fax Laptop PC Photocopier Printer Scanner Server 
		
		
			 Scotland 14 17 67 3 42 0 1 
			 Wales 11 17 41 3 29 0 2 
			 East 18 40 45 3 32 0 2 
			 East Midlands 11 13 64 3 35 0 2 
			 London 118 263 704 11 280 9 52 
			 North East 10 31 40 3 22 0 1 
			 North West 44 44 129 3 67 0 3 
			 South East 65 34 125 2 107 0 4 
			 South West 12 8 59 2 28 1 1 
			 West Midlands 30 46 47 4 43 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 22 39 59 3 45 0 2 
			 Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grand Total 355 554 1,380 40 730 10 70 
		
	
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 2 February 2006
	I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.
	The number of pieces of equipment in each area is as follows:
	
		
			  2004–05 2003–04 
			  Scotland Wales London Scotland Wales London 
		
		
			 (a) Personal computers 62 1,216 11 62 899 11 
			 (b) Laptops 0 52 0 0 37 0 
			 (c) Servers 2 154 0 2 149 0 
			 (d) Printers 7 334 4 7 292 4 
			 (e) Scanners 1 14 0 1 11 0 
			 (f) Photocopiers 1 28 1 1 28 1 
			 (g) Fax machines 1 38 1 1 33 1 
			 (h) Multi-function (copier, printer, fax) 0 7 0 0 2 0 
		
	
	We do not have an office in Northern Ireland and consequently no equipment.
	Letter from Desmond Flynn, dated 2 February 2006
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2005/2566) asking about our holdings of personal computers and associated equipment and office photocopiers and faxes in 2003–4 and 2004–5, broken down by region.
	I enclose a table showing the information requested.
	
		The Insolvency Service: computer equipment and office machinery holdings
		
			  Personal Computers Laptops Servers Printers Scanners Copiers Fax machines 
		
		
			 2003–04
			 East Midlands 95 0 9 13 0 5 3 
			 Eastern 164 0 15 19 0 12 9 
			 London 425 70 18 50 4 10 18 
			 North East 119 0 9 13 0 6 5 
			 North West 198 1 12 22 0 10 8 
			 Scotland 11 0 0 2 0 3 2 
			 South East 208 1 15 23 0 9 11 
			 South West 197 1 18 26 2 11 11 
			 Wales 62 0 6 8 0 4 2 
			 West Midlands 290 25 27 40 2 10 14 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 63 0 6 8 0 4 2 
			 Total 1,832 98 135 224 8 84 85 
			 
			 2004–05
			 East Midlands 105 4 6 16 0 5 3 
			 Eastern 177 8 10 23 0 13 9 
			 London 469 76 22 85 6 10 18 
			 North East 136 9 6 16 0 6 5 
			 North West 208 21 8 33 0 10 8 
			 Scotland 11 1 0 2 0 3 2 
			 South East 229 10 10 28 0 10 11 
			 South West 220 9 12 34 2 11 11 
			 Wales 67 4 4 13 0 3 2 
			 West Midlands 383 36 26 46 4 11 16 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 76 9 4 9 0 4 2 
			 Total 2,081 187 108 305 12 86 87 
		
	
	Letter from Jeanne Spinks, dated 2 February 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each of the English regions and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.
	The figures are as follows.
	
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 
			  Scotland Wales England Scotland Wales England 
		
		
			 (a) PCs 3 4 62 3 4 61 
			 (b) Laptops 3 1 47 3 1 47 
			 (c) Servers 3 0 14 3 0 13 
			 (d) Printers 26 24 315 26 22 313 
			 (e) Scanners 0 0 6 0 0 6 
			 (f) Photocopiers 0 0 8 0 0 8 
			 (g) Fax Machines 4 1 47 4 1 46 
		
	
	Letter from Dr. Jeff Llewellyn, dated 2 February 2006
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each of the English regions and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.
	The IT equipment in use in NWML for the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 is shown in the table below:
	
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Personal Computers 75 86 
			 Laptops 13 17 
			 Servers 8 14 
			 Printers 18 11 
			 Scanners 3 4 
			 Photocopiers (3)0 (3)0 
			 Fax Machines 3 3 
		
	
	(3) Three leased.
	This is a hardware list that includes laboratory equipment. It does not include network infrastructure, peripherals or software.
	Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 2 February 2006
	I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 20 December 2005, regarding what equipment the Patent Office owned in 2003–04 and 2004–05
	
		
			  31 December: 
			  2003 2004 
		
		
			 Personal Computers 1,650 1,761 
			 Laptops 194 217 
			 Servers 78 89 
			 Printers 1,333 1,418 
			 Scanners 80 75 
			 Photocopiers(4) 41 41 
			 Faxes 52 36 
		
	
	(4) Photocopiers were leased rather than owned.

Pipeline (Milford Haven)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the map of stage 1 of the liquid gas pipeline from (a) Milford Haven to Tirley and (b) Milford Haven to Felindre.

Malcolm Wicks: A copy of the map showing the route of the natural gas pipeline from Milford Haven to Aberdulais will be placed in the Libraries of the House. No application has yet been made for a pipeline from Felindre to Tilrey.

Public Relations Companies

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations since May 1997.

Alan Johnson: The following companies have been awarded public relations contracts from the DTI since 2002:
	Harrison Cowley
	Fishburn Hedges
	GCI
	Countrywide
	Prowse
	This information has been sought through the Central Office of Information. To collate information prior to this would exceed disproportionate costs.
	Expenditure by non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and independent statutory bodies is not held centrally, therefore to collate would exceed disproportionate costs.

Sizewell B (Waste Heat)

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with British Energy to explore the technical and economic possibilities of distributing the waste heat from Sizewell B power plant via a heat grid.

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Postgraduates

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Department is taking to (a) retain and (b) attract postgraduates in the UK work force; and what estimate he has made of the number of people with postgraduate qualifications relevant to business and industry that leave the UK to work abroad each year.

Alan Johnson: We have introduced several initiatives—we have raised Research Council-funded PhD stipends; improved professional training in PhDs; increased the average Research Council postdoctoral salary; improved training for postdoctoral researchers and introduced 1,000 new academic fellowships. A recent research report by the Higher Education Policy Institute stated that the UK gained 40 per cent. more staff than it lost over an eight-year period, from highly cited academics to post doctoral staff.
	My Department does not have any specific estimates of numbers leaving the UK to work abroad. I understand the Higher Education Statistics Agency collects data on destinations of postgraduates.

TRANSPORT

Anti-terrorism Legislation (Railway Enthusiasts)

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to the British Transport Police on the application of anti-terrorism legislation to the activities of railway enthusiasts who choose to photograph trains and stations.

Derek Twigg: The Department has not issued any such guidance to the British Transport Police (BTP). Railway enthusiasts are frequently present on the rail infrastructure, are knowledgeable about railway operations and know what is or is not usual. They are in a good position to report any suspicious activity to the police and BTP actively encourage them, like any other user of rail services and stations, to do so.
	BTP officers would not normally use powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to stop and search rail enthusiasts. However, in certain circumstances, photographing and videoing of railway infrastructure could be one possible indication of hostile surveillance and officers may judge it necessary to question, and possibly search, an individual. In this context, rail enthusiasts are not treated any differently from any other individual.

Cycling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on cycling safety in each of the last 20 years.

Stephen Ladyman: Most spending on cycle safety in England is undertaken by local highway authorities. This includes capital spending on infrastructure schemes such as cycle lanes, which may have traffic management as well as safety benefits. It also includes revenue spending on cycle training, other educational initiatives and local cycle safety publicity. Since 2001–02, capital spending by English authorities outside London has been recorded through the local transport plan system, but this was not recorded centrally for earlier years. Revenue spending on road safety comes from local authorities' own resources and is not recorded centrally.
	The Department for Transport also produces cycle safety publicity and resources at national level. Figures for annual spending are only available as far back as 2002–03. Our road safety challenge grant scheme, which has been running since 2002–03, has funded a number of projects that are wholly or partly to improve cycle safety. Figures for spending on cycle safety projects under previous grant schemes are not available. The Department also includes projects on cycle safety in its road safety research programme, though figures are available only from 1999–2000.
	The Department has also from time to time funded various schemes to promote cycling, including infrastructure, facilities and training, which will have included safety benefits. From 2005–06, this role has been taken on by Cycling England, which now receives £5 million per year from the Department, to spend on a range of infrastructure, training and publicity measures.
	Available figures are shown in the following table. These may include amounts sent on cycling infrastructure and facilities that was not entirely safety-related and amounts spent on road safety publicity and education that was not entirely cycling related. These figures do not include spending on infrastructure, facilities, education and publicity that had wider road safety benefits for all road users, including cyclists. No figures are available for earlier years.
	
		£ million
		
			  LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (England outside London) LA capital spending on cycle infrastructure (London) LA revenue spending on cycle training, education and publicity DfT spending on grants for cycle safety schemes and on cycle safety publicity DfT spending on cycle safety research DfT spending on cycle promotion, with some safety benefits (Cycling England from 2005–06) 
		
		
			 1996–97 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 2.00 
			 1997–98 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 1998–99 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 1999–2000 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 0.06 (5)— 
			 2000–01 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 0.00 (5)— 
			 2001–02 29.58 £50 million (5)— (5)— 0.02 (5)— 
			 2002–03 39.90 1/2over 5 years (5)— 0.06 0.06 2.18 
			 2003–04 32.13 (no breakdown (5)— 0.18 0.00 2.19. 
			 2004–05 38.89 1/2available) (5)— 0.07 0.05 10.12 
			 2005–06 35.39  (5)— 0.27 0.06 5.00 
		
	
	(5) unknown

Buses

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have introduced reduced bus fare schemes for people under 16 years since 1997.

Karen Buck: There was no change in the coverage of reduced bus fare schemes between 1997 and 2001. In a number of cases, newly-created unitary authorities introduced reduced bus fare schemes similar to those that existed before the authority was created. No information is available for years since 2001. Free local bus travel for people under the age of 16 was introduced in London in September 2005, for travel on Transport for London's bus network. This replaced a flat fare scheme.

Marine Oil Pollution

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken to prevent ships at sea spilling oil since the Sea Empress oil spill; and what further steps he plans to take.

Stephen Ladyman: The UK Government have played a key role, internationally, regionally and nationally, in developing many measures to prevent, or mitigate the consequences of, oil spills from ships during the 10 years since the Sea Empress oil spill in February 1996. The most significant measures are as follows:
	In 1994, recognising the value of tugs in preventing groundings and other incidents, the UK introduced Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) on a trial basis. Initially ETVs were stationed at Dover and Stornoway for the winter months only. After further review, the number of ETVs was increased to four—stationed at Dover, Stornoway, the Fair Isle Channel, and in the South West approaches—and since October 2001 all four ETVs have been on station all year round.
	The UK participated fully in the adoption in 1996 of the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention which will provide compensation cover similar to the international oil pollution compensation regime but for other oils and chemicals, and also for explosion, death or injury from such products.
	In 1997 the UK co-ordinated an EU member states' initiative at the IMO to have the whole of the North Sea, and all waters around the UK and Ireland, declared a special area for the purposes of protecting those waters from operational discharges of oil from shipping.
	The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency has a dedicated Enforcement Unit. In 1997, legislation was passed to enable magistrates to impose a fine of up to £250,000 on either the master or the ship-owner for an oil pollution offence; this is the highest fine for any offence in a magistrates court.
	In 2000, following a wide-ranging review, the UK published a revised National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations", setting out how the relevant agencies and authorities in the UK will respond to such incidents. The UK has also created the role of the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP). On behalf of the Secretary of State, SOSREP has the power to oversee, control and—if necessary—intervene in salvage operations within UK waters involving vessels or fixed platforms where there is a significant risk of pollution. To reduce the risk of pollution of our seas and coasts, SOSREP can direct vessels which are in difficulties to a suitable place of refuge. The powers of direction invested in SOSREP are extensive, and are called into play when he believes that the public interest is not being adequately protected. The SOSREP role has proved very successful, as well as being an international first for the UK.
	In 2000 the UK initiated action at the IMO to increase the limit of compensation under the 1992 CLC/Fund regime by a further 50 per cent. to £177 million, with effect from 1 November 2003.
	In 2001, along with six other states, the UK pressed for a world-wide initiative to create a Supplementary Fund to the 1992 CLC/Fund to provide further substantial compensation for the most serious oil spills.
	The UK was one of the countries, which developed the Bunkers Convention 2001, which establishes a liability regime for pollution from ships' fuel oils.
	The UK played a leading role in the EU and the IMO to secure international agreement to accelerate the phasing out of single hull oil tankers. Double hulls can provide additional protection against spillage in the event of collisions and groundings.
	The UK played an active part in the work leading to the development of the EC Vessel traffic monitoring and information system Directive, which covers reporting requirements on ships with dangerous cargoes, the installation of Voyage Data Recorders on ships, the installation of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) on ships and the establishment of shore-based stations to receive AIS5 information; exchange of vessel traffic information; places of refuge; and measures for shore authorities to take in bad weather conditions. The UK implemented the Directive in national law in 2005.
	The UK played a leading role in the IMO in achieving the designation of the Western European Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), which includes a substantial proportion of the UK's seas and coasts. The PSSA came into effect on 1 July 2005. The protective measure for the PSSA is a mandatory reporting system. The reporting system applies to all tankers of more than 600 deadweight tonnes (dwt) carrying heavy grades of oil.
	As regards further steps:
	The Merchant Shipping (Pollution) Bill is currently going through Parliament which will enable the UK to ratify and implement the Supplementary Fund Protocol to the Fund Convention, thereby increasing the amount of compensation available for any one incident to some £621 million.
	In addition, work on vessel routeing and traffic management measures has progressed to take account of wider developments in UK policy on the sustainable use of the marine environment, such as the growth in offshore renewable energy, the Government's commitment to introducing a Marine Bill, developments in thinking on marine spatial planning and advances in e-navigation technology. As part of this process, considerable work has gone into the identification of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas and an announcement will be made shortly.

Multi-modal Studies

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the schemes which arose as an outcome of multi-modal studies which have been awarded investment by his Department, broken down by (a) road construction and (b) public transport schemes and what (i) the amount awarded and (ii) the location of each scheme was in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The Multi-Modal Studies were strategic transport studies which developed recommendations for implementation over the short, medium and longer term up to 2031. Many of the schemes recommended required further detailed development and appraisal work before being ready for implementation. In our responses to the Multi-Modal Studies we set out the way in which we wished to see the study recommendations taken forward by the relevant delivery agencies.
	The schemes recommended by the Multi-Modal Studies which have reached the stage of programme entry or equivalent with agreed funding allocations are listed in the following tables. A number of other schemes are continuing to be prepared for a decision on programme entry by the respective delivery agencies.
	
		Highways agency trunk road schemes (targeted programme of improvements)
		
			  Multi-modal study  HA TPI scheme  Location Latest budget cost (£ million) 
		
		
			 Cambridge to Huntingdon A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton Improvement Cambridgeshire 490 
			 Access to Hastings A21 Tonbridge to Pembury Kent 65 
			 London to South Midlands M1 Junction 6a to 10 Widening Hertfordshire 289 
			 London to South Midlands M1 Junction 10 to 13 widening Bedfordshire 382 
			 A1 North of Newcastle A1 Morpeth to Felton Dualling Northumberland 84 
			 A1 North of Newcastle A1 Adderstone to Belford Dualling Northumberland 14 
			 Tyneside Area A1/A19/A1068 Seaton Burn Junction Improvement Tyneside 29 
			 Tyneside Area A19/A184 Testos Grade Separated Junction Tyneside 21 
			 London to South Midlands A505 Dunstable Northern Bypass (A5 to M1 Link) Bedfordshire 48 
			 London to South Midlands A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13 Bedfordshire 171 
			 London to South West and South Wales A30 Garland Cross to Chiverton Cross Cornwall 125 
			 London to South West and South Wales A30 Temple to Higher Carblake Improvement Cornwall 41 
			 North/South Movements in the East Midlands M1 Junction 21 to 30 widening Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire 1,915 
			 Orbit (M25) -London Orbital Transport Solutions M25 Junction 1B to 3 widening Kent 66 
			 Orbit (M25) -London Orbital Transport Solutions M25 Junction 5 to 7 widening Surrey and Kent 214 
			 Orbit (M25) -London Orbital Transport Solutions M25 Junction 16 to 23 widening Hertfordshire and Berkshire 496 
			 Orbit (M25) -London Orbital Transport Solutions M25 Junction 23 to 27 widening . Hertfordshire and Essex 419 
			 Orbit (M25) -London Orbital Transport Solutions M25 Junction 27 to 30 widening Essex 402 
			 A453 (M1 Junction 24 to Nottingham) A453 Widening (M1 Junction 24 to A52 Nottingham) Nottinghamshire 90 
			 London to Ipswich M25 Junction 28/A12 Brook Street Interchange Essex 8 
			 South Coast M27 Junction 11 to 12 Climbing Lanes Hampshire 27 
			 South Coast M27 Junction 3 to 4 Widening Hampshire 52 
			 South Coast A27 Southerham to Beddingham Improvement East Sussex 19 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 30 to Junction 31 Widening Yorkshire 136 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 31 to 32 Widening Yorkshire 20 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 32 to 34S Widening Yorkshire 139 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 34N to 37 Widening Yorkshire 246 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 37 to 39 Widening Yorkshire 224 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 39 to 42 Widening Yorkshire 202 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M1 Junction 31 to 32 Northbound Collector/Distributor Yorkshire 29 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M62 Junction 25 to 27 Widening Yorkshire 215 
			 South and West Yorkshire MMS M62 Junction 27 to 28 Widening Yorkshire 83 
		
	
	
		Local transport major schemes (roads and public transport)
		
			  Multi-modal study  Scheme  Location Estimated cost (£ million) 
		
		
			 South Coast Bexhill to Hastings Link Road East Sussex 48.5 
			 South East Manchester A34 Alderley Edge Bypass Cheshire 37.9 
			 South East Manchester South East Manchester Quality Bus Corridor Greater Manchester 23 
			 M60 Junction 18 to 12 JETTS Quality Bus Corridor Greater Manchester 26.3 
			 West Midlands Area Red Routes (Metropolitan Area Wide) West Midlands 28 
			 Cambridge to Huntingdon Cambridge Guided Busway Cambridgeshire 65 
			 South and West Yorkshire A628 Cudworth Bypass Barnsley 17.2 
			 South and West Yorkshire A57 M1 Junction 31 to Todwick Crossroads Rotherham 6.3 
			 
			 Other local transport plan supplementary bids 
			 Cambridge to Huntingdon Traffic Calming of Villages close to proximity of A14 Cambridgeshire (various Villages) (6)4 
			 Access to Hastings, South Coast, Orbit (M25) and Thames Valley Studies Local Transport Initiatives (these were smaller schemes from the outcome from the four Multi-Modal Studies undertaken in the South East region) South East 3.7 
			 London to Ipswich Chelmsford Park and Ride Note: Park and Ride was recommended by the MMS in general terms Chelsmford, Essex (6)1.5 
			 Norwich to Peterborough Kings Lynn Bus Station Refurbishment and Improved integration with the railway station; creation of a high quality multi-modal interchange facility at Thetford Railway station, improved bus stop infrastructure in Downham market and pedestrian and cycling signing in market towns Norfolk (Kings Lynn, Thetford, Downham Market and various Norfolk Market Towns) (6)1,395 
			 A453 MMS Clifton/Silverdale Integrated Transport Measures Nottingham 0.850 
		
	
	(6) Supplementary LTP bid.
	Rail
	Service and capacity improvements that have been implemented on the rail network have contributed to the delivery of a number of rail improvements recommended by the Multi Modal Studies. These include:
	
		
			 Study Rail recommendations 
		
		
			 West Midlands to North West Conurbation (MIDMAN) and London to South Midlands West Coast Project 
			 London to South Midlands Construction of 12 car platforms on West Coast south of Northampton -with introduction of longer trains as demand require 
			 London to South Midlands More carrying capacity on Midland Mainline through new franchise and Route Utilisation Outputs 
			 South Coast Introduction of new Ashford—Brighton service from December 
			 London to South West and South Wales Capacity and bottleneck relief schemes at locations such as Probus Burngullow, Filton Junction 
			 Thames Valley and London to South West and South Wales Introduction of new timetables on Greater Western enhancing capacity, with further enhancements as a result of the new franchise

Safety Camera Partnerships

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to which elected bodies the Safety Camera Partnerships are accountable in two-tier local government areas.

Stephen Ladyman: Safety Camera Partnerships are comprised of representatives from local authorities, the police, the Highways Agency and the magistrates courts and optional representatives from the Crown Prosecution Service, national health service trusts and the health authority.
	Safety Camera Partnerships are not however a legal entity, and they complement, not replace, existing local authority and police statutory responsibilities in respect of road safety. Safety Camera Partnerships are not therefore directly accountable to any elected bodies. However each member of the partnership does remain locally accountable to its parent body.

Schools (Road Safety)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has allocated funding to local authorities for road safety initiatives outside schools since May 2002.

Karen Buck: The Department is funding a number of local authority initiatives which will improve road safety for children, including the Kerbcraft" child pedestrian training programme and travelling to school" project which we support jointly with DfES. Mainstream funding for all transport improvements, including road safety schemes, is allocated to local authorities through the Local Transport Plan system.

Senior Citizen Rail Travel

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received in support of free senior citizen rail travel; and what his response was.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport ensures that all train operators participate in the Senior Railcard scheme which gives discounts on train travel for people over 60. Additional concessions for senior citizens may be proposed and funded by local authorities, such as the Greater London Freedom pass scheme funded by the Greater London Authority. The Department has received no recent representations proposing free travel for senior citizens.

Thameslink 2000

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for taking decisions on the selection of stations to be improved through platform extensions on the Midland branch of the Thameslink 2000 line.

Derek Twigg: The various applications which Network Rail have made in respect of the Thameslink 2000 project include their proposals to extend a number of platforms at stations along the Midland branch of the proposed Thameslink route to accommodate trains of 12 car length.
	The public inquiry into the Thameslink 2000 project was re-opened between 6 September and 7 December 2005, following the submission of fresh applications by Network Rail to address deficiencies in the scheme identified by the original inquiry.
	The inspector is currently preparing his report on the re-opened inquiry for submission to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Deputy Prime Minister, .who are jointly and severally responsible for determining the various consent applications required to implement the project. We expect to receive the inspector's report in March.
	We will consider on a case by case basis the merits of extending the platforms to accommodate trains of 12 car length at other stations along the Midland branch that were not included in the submitted applications.

Tram Systems

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the tram systems (a) operating and (b) being developed.

Derek Twigg: The following light rail systems are currently operating:
	Tyne and Wear Metro
	Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
	Manchester Metrolink
	Sheffield Supertram
	Midland Metro
	Croydon Tramlink
	Nottingham Express Transit (NET)
	Blackpool Corporation Tramway
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 24 January 2006, Official Report, columns 19921993W, concerning those which are being developed.

Transport (Scotland)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibilities he has for the provision of transport in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I continue to have responsibility for the following reserved matters in the field of transport in Scotland:
	transport security
	transport safety and regulation, including the regulation of air transport and shipping, marine and air safety
	the provision and regulation of railway services including rail safety
	rail heritage
	marine, air and rail accident prevention and investigation
	most aspects of road traffic regulation, including driver and vehicle licensing and testing, road signing, vehicle standards, general speed limits
	some aspects of road safety
	technical standards relating to the transport of disabled persons
	In the case of railways, the provision of services is a reserved matter but the Scottish Ministers exercise certain devolved executive functions.
	The UK Government continues to lead on EU and international negotiations since international relations are reserved.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria an individual from another EU country must meet to be entitled to (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: In order to receive income-related benefits a claimant must both have a right to reside in, and be habitually resident in the Common Travel Area. The benefits affected by the Habitual Residence Test are: income support; jobseeker's allowance (income based); pension credit; housing benefit; and council tax benefit. The Common Travel Area comprises the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
	The Habitual Residence Test applies to all claimants, including British citizens, who have lived in this country for two years or less. Claimants who do not satisfy the Habitual Residence Test are classed as people from abroad and are not eligible for these benefits.
	Some groups of people who have the right to reside in UK are automatically treated as habitually resident in the UK. These include European Economic Area nationals who are classed as workers under European Community law.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of abolishing the two highest rates of non-dependent deduction on housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: The estimated cost of abolishing the highest two rates for non-dependant deductions is approximately 10 million a year.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of raising the standard rate of housing benefit and council tax benefit earned income disregards from 5 per week to 10 per week.

James Plaskitt: The estimated cost of raising the standard rate of earnings disregard in housing benefit and council tax benefit from 5 to 10 is 20 million a year.

Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents whose youngest child is aged between 11 and 16 years are caring for a child who is sick or disabled.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Figures are only available for those receiving income support.
	As at August 2005, there were 15,000 lone parents in receipt of income support, whose youngest child was aged between 11 and 16 years, and whose benefit included a disabled child premium.

Women Pensioners

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in the City of Newcastle were aged over 60 years in (a) 1995, (b) 2000 and (c) 2005; and how many women were receiving (i) a full basic state pension, (ii) a part basic state pension of 50 per cent. of the full pension and (iii) a part basic state pension of less than 50 per cent. of the full pension in each year.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 19 December 2005
	Information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  2000 2005 (see note 6) 
		
		
			 Women aged over 60 years in City of Newcastle 31,200 30,500 
			 Number of women receiving a full basic state pension in City of Newcastle 17,600 15,500 
			 Number of women receiving more than 50 per cent. but less than 99 per cent. of the full basic state pension in City of Newcastle 11,800 11,500 
			 Number of women receiving less than 50 per cent. of the full basic state pension in City of Newcastle 1,500 800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Detailed geographical information on the state pension is not available for 1995.
	2. Data is taken from 5 per cent. extract of PSCS as at 31 March 2000 and 2005, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall February caseload from the WPLS.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	4. A full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 was 79.60.
	5. A full basic state pension as at 31 March 2000 was 66.75.
	6. The latest available population figures from ONS are mid year 2004.
	7. The figures supplied are based on entitlements to all categories of state pension. A full basic state pension is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions.
	Source:
	State Pension data: Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.
	Mid year population estimates: ONS, Population Estimates Unit

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans the Government have to increase the London allowance of civil servants; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Departments and agencies have delegated authority to determine pay arrangements for their own staff outside the senior civil service that are tailored to meet their business needs. It is therefore a matter for individual departments and agencies to determine what levels of pay, including any London allowances, are appropriate to recruit, retain and motivate their own staff, taking into account particular labour market pressures. Departments and agencies may also decide, on the basis of business need, to pay higher rates of pay or allowances to members of their senior civil service working within the M25.

Civil Servants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what costs were incurred by his Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Murphy: The information provided could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel in the Department is undertaken strictly in accordance with the rules contained in the Cabinet Office management code.

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

Jim Murphy: pursuant to the reply, 12 December 2005, Official Report, c. 1682W
	I regret that the data relating to the expenditure on public relations by the Better Regulation Task Force provided in lines 10 to 13 of the table of the previous response was incorrect.
	The correct information should read as follows.
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 200405  
			 Public Relations support for the Better Regulation Taskforce (BRTF) 58,900.00 
			   
			 200506  
			 Public Relations support for the Better Regulation  Taskforce (BRTF) 58,153.67

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made on the implementation of the Phillis review recommendations on restructuring Government communications.

Jim Murphy: Good progress has been made and all the Phillis review recommendations on restructuring have been implemented.
	The first permanent secretary, Government communication, Howell James, took up post in July 2004 and is head of profession for all Government communicators. He is supported by a small, strategic team within the Cabinet Office which concentrates on cross-Government co-ordination, strategic communication, standards and professional development.
	At Number 10, as Phillis recommended, the Prime Minister is supported by two key appointments; a director of communications, a special adviser without executive powers, and an official spokesman, a senior civil servant who reports to the permanent secretary.
	In January 2005 a new network, the Government Communications Network (GCN) was set up to replace the Government Information and Communication Service. In line with Phillis' recommendations the GCN includes all those who work in communication across Government whatever their area of expertise, for example press, marketing, internal communications, and new media.
	As Phillis recommended the permanent secretary also provides advice to Departments on communication structures and promotes the exchange of communication best-practice across Government.
	The Government News Network, which handles regional communications on behalf of a number of Government customers, has moved to the Central Office of Information to enable delivery of a more strategic and co-ordinated communications function in the regions.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on the Central Office of Information in each year since 199697; and how much the estimated spend is for 200506.

Jim Murphy: The Central Office of Information running costs for each year since 199697 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Running costs ( million) 
		
		
			 199697 25.9 
			 199798 15.2 
			 199899 16.0 
			 19992000 17.9 
			 200001 20.8 
			 200102 23.5 
			 200203 25.5 
			 200304 22.9 
			 200405 25.8 
		
	
	The figure for 199697 includes 8.5 million of costs resulting from the implementation of the COI quinquennial review. Excluding these one-off costs, running costs in the year represented 13.8 per cent. of turnover. For 200405, running costs represented 7.8 per cent. of turnover.
	Final figures for 200506 are not yet available, but they will include the additional costs for the Government News Network. The results for the current year will be published in mid-July 2006.

IT Failures

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what computerisation or IT failures have occurred in projects managed by the Cabinet Office in each year since 1997; what the contracted cost of the project was in each case; and what estimate he has made of the direct and indirect costs of failure in each case.

Jim Murphy: pursuant to the reply, 5 October 2005, Official Report, c. 773W
	I regret the figure quoted in relation to the original contract value of the contract with ITNET of 84 million in the final paragraph was incorrect.
	The final paragraph should read as follows:
	The second IT failure was with the data centre and hosting management service to be provided by ITNET whose contract was terminated in 2004. The original contract value was 83 million. A total of 5 million was paid up to the point of termination of the contract.

Public Appointments (Political Impartiality)

Jim Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what measures are in place to ensure the political impartiality of chief executives of non-departmental public bodies.

Jim Murphy: Cabinet Office guidance for non departmental public bodies requires public bodies to adopt a code of conduct for their staff which should include the requirement for staff to conduct themselves with impartiality, integrity and honesty.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

BBC World Service

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department plans to review the BBC World Service's allocation of grant in aid.

Jack Straw: Grant in aid for BBC World Service forms part of the overall settlement allocated to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by HM Treasury. The current financial settlement runs until April 2008. As with all elements of Government spending, the funding of BBC World Service will be reviewed in 200607 as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Convention against Torture

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether it is the Government's policy to receive intelligence information from Governments who (a) have not (i) signed and (ii) ratified the UN Convention against Torture, (b) have signed the Convention but maintain reservations, (c) have not signed the Optional Protocol on monitoring and (d) employ definitions of torture in practice narrower than the terms of the UN Convention;
	(2)  whether it is the Government's policy to make an assessment of the risk that intelligence received by the security services from other countries was obtained by torture.

Kim Howells: The Government's position on torture is clear. The UK condemns unreservedly the use of torture. We work hard with our international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice.
	It is not the Government's policy to comment on intelligence matters.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Pockets of instability persist in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In Ituri and the Kivus, the security situation remains fragile. Elements of the DRC army have fought each other, and civilians continue to suffer abuses by armed groups.
	Despite the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC)'s operations to disarm Ituri militias and to disrupt the activities of foreign armed groups, these militia groups continue to persecute civilians. In UN Security Council Resolution 1653, the international community condemned the activities of these groups, and pledged its support for MONUC's robust approach to protecting civilians and tackling these militia. We continue to urge regional Governments to work together to disarm these groups.

EU Gendarmerie Force

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the duties are of the EU Gendarmerie Force.

Douglas Alexander: The European Gendarmerie Force is a multinational force from five countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands). It is a force which is available to a number of organisations, including the EU, NATO, the UN or ad hoc coalitions. It is not an EU body. Its duties will be decided by the participating nations.

EU Gendarmerie Force

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated annual cost is of the EU Gendarmerie Force launched at Vicenza on 19 January.

Douglas Alexander: We do not know of any estimated annual cost of the European Gendarmerie Force. Costs would be a matter for the participating nations.

EU Travel Bans

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) UK nationals and (b) individuals with listed UK addresses are subject to EU travel bans.

Kim Howells: The EU has imposed travel bans with respect to Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.
	These are enforced by checking the names and dates of birth of visa applicants against a consolidated 'warnings list', which includes all the data from the travel ban lists. Positive matches are referred for further investigation. Although none of the targeted individuals are listed as having British addresses or nationality, the information contained on the list itself is not sufficient to say that none do.

Extraordinary Rendition

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) Poland and (b) Romania on the practice of extraordinary rendition; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Reports of extraordinary rendition were raised at the European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council on 21 November 2005, which was attended by Polish and Romanian Ministers. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary undertook, as presidency of the EU, to write to the US Secretary of State about these reports. Dr. Rice responded with a detailed statement on 5 December 2005. The issue was also discussed at a dinner of EU and NATO Foreign Ministers on 7 December 2005 in Brussels, which was attended by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

Human Rights

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he supports the proposal to establish a European Union agency to monitor the observance of human rights in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: As agreed at the European Council of December 2003, the proposed European Fundamental Rights Agency will extend the mandate of the existing European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. It will provide assistance and expertise in human rights issues to EU institutions and member states when they are implementing Community law. The Government are in favour of an agency with a well-defined remit and work objectives that do not duplicate the work of existing bodies, particularly the Council of Europe.

Kazakhstan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Kazakhstan following international monitors' criticism of the presidential elections held in December 2005.

Douglas Alexander: The UK issued an EU Presidency statement on 5 December supporting the preliminary report of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) International Observation Mission on the 4 December elections. While noting that there had been some improvements in the administration of the elections in the pre-election period and that voting on the day was conducted in a generally calm and peaceful atmosphere, the report concluded that the elections had failed to meet a number of OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections. The UK offered the EU's support to Kazakhstan in fulfilling its international commitments in this regard. A further EU statement was issued under the UK's Presidency on 15 December which reiterated these points and looked forward to the final ODIHR report and the opportunity to study its recommendations. It noted Foreign Minister Tokaev's statement on 5 December in which he expressed readiness to continue cooperation with ODIHR.
	In a letter to President Nazarbayev of 23 December, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister urged Kazakhstan to address concerns raised about areas in which it has not yet fully met the standards of the OSCE. He noted that the UK stood ready to support Kazakhstan in undertaking future reform in order to meet these standards. Senior officials in London have delivered similar messages on a regular basis to the Kazakh ambassador in London. Our new ambassador, Paul Brummell, also talked over these issues at his first meeting with Foreign Minister Tokaev on 9 January. We will continue to discuss both bilaterally and with our EU partners, the relevant issues as appropriate in our contacts at all levels with the Kazakh authorities.

Libya

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government remains concerned about the human rights situation in Libya. The Government welcomes recent developments such as: the opening of a dialogue between the Libyan authorities and groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch; the progress made in the joint programme, financed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund, between the Libyan Ministry of Justice and the International Centre for Prison Studies on prison management; the abolition of the Revolutionary Courts; and the current debate in the Basic People's Congresses on the possible abolition or further restriction of the death penalty.
	The Government will continue to work with the Libyan authorities to encourage them to continue to move towards internationally accepted standards on human rights and the rule of law.

Libya

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent evidence he has received that the Libyan security services are practising torture on prisoners.

Kim Howells: The Government are aware of claims that the Libyan security services have practised torture on prisoners. The Government condemns the use of torture and works with international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice.
	The Government will continue to work with the Libyan authorities, as they have in the area of prison management, to encourage them to continue to move towards internationally accepted standards on human rights and the rule of law.

Palestinian Authority

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had about possible changes to the UK's relationship with the Palestinian Authority after the Palestinian elections; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK is clear that democracy means accepting the results of elections, provided they are free and fair. The Palestinian Legislative Council elections are not an exception to this principle. We look forward to Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen appointing a Government committed to his policy of one gun, one authority, and to the vision set out in the Roadmap of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
	Hamas now has a choice to make between the path of democracy and the path of violence. The onus is on Hamas to change, in particular their approach to Israel and their approach to violence. We are watching developments closely.

Rafik Hariri

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the United Nations investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government welcomes the important contribution that the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) has made, since it was mandated by the adoption of UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1595 of 7 April 2005, towards bringing those responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri to justice.
	The UN Secretary-General's report of 19 October 2005 highlighted that Syria's level of co-operation with the UNIIIC had been unacceptable. UNSCR 1636, unanimously adopted on 31 October 2005, underlined the seriousness with which the international community viewed Syria's non-co-operation. As a result of our continuing concerns about the lack of Syrian co-operation, we co-sponsored UNSCR 1644, adopted on 15 December 2005, which underscores Syria's obligation to co-operate folly and unconditionally with the UNIIIC.
	We welcome the recent appointment of Serge Brammertz to succeed Detlev Mehlis at the head of the UN investigation, and we look forward to discussing his next report with Security Council Partners.

UK Agencies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the UK agencies whose powers are circumscribed by similar agencies operating at EU level.

Douglas Alexander: It would incur disproportionate cost to determine accurately and comprehensively what levels of cooperation exist between the 18 European Community and over 100 UK agencies and which, if any, of the latters' powers are circumscribed by the former.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Behaviour and Truancy Partnerships

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the roll out of secondary school behaviour and truancy partnerships in Gravesham will begin.

Jacqui Smith: All secondary schools in Gravesham should be working in partnership to improve behaviour and tackle persistent truancy by September 2007. Schools in Gravesham already work closely together, and local authority officers are due to meet secondary heads and primary representatives in February 2006 to discuss further development of the partnership.

Boarding Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase the number of boarding school places in the maintained sector.

Jacqui Smith: The new target capital funding arrangements for the first time enabled maintained boarding schools to bid for funding to undertake building projects to increase boarding places; make essential improvements; or undertake significant remedial or enhancement work to boarding accommodation. Three projects were approved which will result in an extra 40 boarding places.
	In addition, under the expansion of successful and popular secondary schools programme, we have received applications from two boarding schools. Subject to local decisions, these applications could result in an additional 182 boarding places in the next five to seven years.

Carers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research her Department has carried out to estimate (a) the number of school age young carers and (b) the average number of hours per week that such carers spend on their caring roles.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 20 January 2006
	The Department has not carried out research to estimate these figures. Data on young carers is available from the 2001 Census of Population.
	The Census established that there were about 150,000 children and young people under 18 in England and Wales who provided some form of care for family members. A full breakdown of the age and numbers of young carers by the number of hours a week when they provided care can be found in the following table.
	
		Age and number of young carers in England and Wales, by hours caring per week (2001 Census)
		
			  119 hours 2049 hours 50+ hours Total number Total (percentage) 
		
		
			 04 0 0 0 0 0 
			 57 4,161 512 792 5,465 4 
			 89 6,361 610 863 7,834 5 
			 1011 13,272 1,180 1,360 16,267 11 
			 1214 39,983 3,429 2,982 46,394 31 
			 15 18,265 1,865 1,272 21,402 14 
			 1617 43,179 5,717 3,684 52,580 35 
			 All 125,676 13,313 10,953 149,942 100 
			 All (percentage) 84 9 7 100  
		
	
	Source:
	Becker (2004)
	The table shows that 84 per cent. of young carers spend between one and 19 hours in their caring role and 7 per cent. spend over 50 hours caring per week. Some of these young carers are as young as 57 years old.
	Further information on this topic can be found in Young Carers in the UK: The 2004 Report published by Carers UK. This is the third survey of young carers who are being supported by specialist young carers' projects in the UK http://www.carersuk.org/Policyandpractice/Research/YounQcarersReport2004.pdf. A merged reply to three written parliamentary questions (44305, 44307 and 44132) given on 20 January 2006 contains further information on the issue of young carers.

Civil Servants

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many disciplinary actions against civil servants employed in her Department (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: A sanction can include any or all of the following (although the list is not exhaustive): verbal warning; written warning; a bar on promotion; the withholding of pay increases and/or bonus payments; suspension from duty with loss of pay; downgrading or dismissal. The following table shows data for the last five years:
	
		
			  Disciplinary actions Sanctions applied 
		
		
			 2001 35 26 
			 2002 11 11 
			 2003 7 7 
			 2004 7 7 
			 2005 11 7

Communication Aid Project

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure continuing support for recipients of communication equipment under the Communication Aid Project.

Maria Eagle: Since it went live in April 2002, the Communication Aids Project has assisted some 4,000 children of school age experiencing significant difficulty in communicating with those around them. The present tranche of funding comes to an end in March 2006 and officials are exploring with the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency how the momentum generated by the project might be maintained.

Contact Orders

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been killed during contact visits after contact orders were granted to parents who were known to be violent in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The Government do not collect statistics on how many children have been killed during contact visits after contact orders were granted to parents who were known to be violent.
	The Government's guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999) sets out that in any case where a child dies and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the child's death, the case should be examined through a local serious case review. The Government commission national reports which draw out the lessons to be learned from these reviews.
	We plan to strengthen systems for reviewing child deaths by giving the new local safeguarding children boards a function of collecting and analysing information about each child death. This is with a view to identifying any case giving rise to the need for a serious case review, any matters of concern affecting the safety and welfare of children in the local area, and any wider public health or safety concerns arising from a particular death or from a pattern of deaths in that area. We plan to trial these arrangements between 2006 and 2008.

Corby Community College

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on Corby Community college in Northamptonshire and the measures the school is taking to raise its standards.

Jacqui Smith: It is the intention that Corby Community college in Northamptonshire will be replaced by Corby academy. The project, which is reaching the end of a detailed feasibility study will provide 1250 1118 places. It is sponsored by Brooke Weston City Technology college, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and a local developer, Corby Developments Ltd. All pupils attending Corby Community college will have a right to a place at the academy, which offers the opportunity to take improvements at the College to a new level.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will respond to the letters of 31 October and 25 November 2005 from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire, on teachers' ineligibility for child care vouchers.

Jacqui Smith: I replied to the right hon. Member's letter on 27 January.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will respond to the letters of 5 October and 25 November 2005 from the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire, on the effect of school admissions policies on rural schools.

Jacqui Smith: I replied to the right hon. Member's letter on 27 January.

Correspondence

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter of 26 October 2005 from the hon. Member for St Albans concerning Mrs. Helen Bramall.

Jacqui Smith: I replied to the hon. Member's letter on 27 January.

Departmental Vehicles

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by her Department; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each model requires; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

Maria Eagle: The following table provides a breakdown of the vehicle fleet owned by the Department for Education and Skills by model, number, type, and fuel efficiency. No vehicles are leased by the Department.
	
		
			 Model Numbers Type of fuel Efficiency 
		
		
			 Vauxhall Astra 12 Unleaded petrol/LPG 35.2 
			 Vauxhall Vectra 3 Diesel 44.5 
			 Vauxhall Zafira 3 Diesel 39.2 
			 Ford Focus 5 Diesel 44.8 
			 Ford Fiesta 1 Diesel 53.3 
			 Ford Galaxy 3 Diesel 34.2 
			 Volvo S80 2 Unleaded petrol 21.9

Drop-out Rates

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 10 university subjects with the highest drop out rate.

Bill Rammell: The information is not held centrally.
	Non-continuation rates are calculated on an institutional basis and the figures for 2002/03 entrants are available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publication 'Performance Indicators in HE' at:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/pi/0304/continuation.htm.

Education Maintenance Allowances

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people were (a) eligible for and (b) took up education maintenance allowances in (i) Barnsley and (ii) Doncaster in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate Education Maintenance Allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the council's Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 23 January 2006
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked how many people were (a) eligible for and (b) took up education maintenance allowances in (i) Barnsley and (ii) Doncaster in the last year for which figures are available?
	During the academic year 2004/05, 1,821 young people in Barnsley Local Education Authority and 2,707 young people in Doncaster Local Education Authority received one or more EMA payments.
	During the academic year 2004/05, EMA was available to all 16 years olds nationally and to 17 and 18 years olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). Both Barnsley and Doncaster Local Education Authorities were former pilot areas.
	In preparation for the roll-out, projections of the number of young people eligible for EMA were only made for 16 years olds. The projections are formed by applying income distributions (derived from the Family Resources Survey) and expected numbers in full-time further education to the estimated population of 16 years olds. When applied to individual localities the figures may be subject to some variation but they provide a useful estimate. The following table displays the data for Barnsley and Doncaster.
	
		Take-Up of EMA by 16-years-olds in 2004/05
		
			 LEA Projected number eligible Actual Take-Up Percentage Take-Up 
		
		
			 Barnsley 1,250 1,062 84.96 
			 Doncaster 1,770 1,451 81.98 
		
	
	This compares against a national take-up of 82% (calculated as the total number of 16 years olds who received EMA against the projected number eligible to receive payment).
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or Christopher Bradley@lsc.gov.uk

Education Statistics (Wandsworth)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been awarded to Wandsworth council to provide for new school buildings at each school in Tooting constituency since 1997; and what the sum awarded was in each case.

Jacqui Smith: Capital allocations made to the London borough of Wandsworth and schools in its area since 1997 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199697 1.2 
			 199798 0.9 
			 199899 1.9 
			 19992000 3.6 
			 200001 8.0 
			 200102 7.8 
			 200203 13.7 
			 200304 11.7 
			 200405 10.4 
			 200506 10.5 
		
	
	We expect local authorities and schools to take decisions locally on allocating funds between new buildings, improvements and repairs in accordance with priorities set out in their local asset management plan. Accordingly, records of these categories of capital expenditures are not held centrally.
	Records of capital allocations are not maintained at constituency level.
	Capital allocations to local authorities and schools are higher than ever before. In 200506 they are 5.5 billion and they are planned to increase to 6.3 billion in 200708, an increase from 683 million in 199697.

Education Statistics (Wandsworth)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average number of hours per week of physical education undertaken in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Wandsworth was in 200405.

Jacqui Smith: Data from the annual PE, School Sport and Club Links survey is not collected in the format requested. The 200405 survey found that overall, 69 per cent. of 5-to-16 year olds in the 11,400 schools taking part in the survey were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum. This figure is 64 per cent. for primary schools and 75 per cent. for secondary schools.
	In 200405 the results for the Southfields School Sport Partnership which covers the Wandsworth area, found that overall, 72 per cent. of pupils were participating in at least two hours of high-quality PE and out-of-hours school sport in a typical week. At the time of the survey there were 60 schools in the partnership.

Exam Results

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2203W, on exam results, how many and what proportion of entrants to undergraduate courses leading to qualified teacher status attained (a) at least (i) 360, (ii) 300, (iii) 240, (iv) 180, (v) 120 and (b) fewer than 120 points at A level in each year since 200203.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table.
	
		'A' level points attainment for English domiciled entrants to English HE institutions who have one or more 'A' level qualifications on entry and who are aiming for the qualification of first degree with QTS(7)
		
			  2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
			 'A' level points attained Entrants Percentage Entrants Percentage Entrants Percentage 
		
		
			 360+ 215 5 215 4 300 5 
			 300+ 670 16 770 16 950 17 
			 240+ 1,600 37 1,790 37 2,190 38 
			 180+ 2,740 64 3,040 63 3,655 64 
			 120+ 3,628 84 4,010 83 4,740 83 
			 120 685 16 845 17 960 17 
			 Total known 4,315 100 4,855 100 5,700 100 
		
	
	(7) Figures are for students identified as studying for first degree with QTS and who have either GCE 'A' level or VCE 'A' level qualifications. The average score given is the average tariff points score based upon all 'A' level qualifications (not just the best three).
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 and are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Fresh Start Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will revise the eligibility criteria for the Fresh Start programme to include secondary schools that achieve less than a 25 per cent. rate of pupils gaining at least five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics.

Jacqui Smith: All applications for a school to join the Fresh Start programme are considered on their merits, having regard to the issues facing the school. In reaching decisions we look carefully at all the factors which make a school a cause for concern, including very low attainment and poor performance in the core curriculum.

Fresh Start Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools were reopened under the Fresh Start programme in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is set out in the following table. The first Fresh Start school opened in September 1998.
	
		
			 Academic year Number of Fresh Start schools opened 
		
		
			 1998/99 3 
			 1999/2000 13 
			 2000/01 10 
			 2001/02 3 
			 2002/03 4 
			 2003/04 4 
			 2004/05 9 
			 2005/06 4

Further Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will rank further education colleges in England by the correlation between funding per full-time equivalent student and all year qualification success rate.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 24 January 2006
	Qualification success rates for each college are available from the LSC website (http://benchmarkingdata.lsc. gov.uk/year8/index.cfm by downloading the file Institution level success rates: Excel file qualification aim data).
	Funding data are also available for each college on the LSC website (http://www.lsc.gov.uk/National/Documents/SubjectListing/SectorData/CollegeAccounts/default.htm).
	We do not benchmark colleges by full-time equivalent student numbers, but in the light of the Foster report we are considering the development of a value for money measure which will be used to benchmark college efficiency.

General Teaching Council

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual renewal fee for registration with the General Teaching Council was in each year since 2000.

Jacqui Smith: Teachers were required to pay an annual registration fee to the General Teaching Council for England for the first time in 200203. The fee was initially set at 23 and was increased to 28 in 200304 and to 30 in 200405. The fee level was retained at 30 in 200506.

Headship Qualifications

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure reciprocal recognition of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish headship qualifications.

Jacqui Smith: Arrangements are already in place to ensure that holders of the Welsh NPQH, the Scottish Standard for Headship, and the PQH in Northern Ireland are considered to hold a qualification that is equivalent to NPQH.
	Following the introduction of the mandatory requirement in April 2004, applicants from the other home countries who want to apply for a first-time headship post in England need to present evidence that they hold or are working towards the qualifications that apply in their own countries.
	Serving head teachers working in the other home countries who wish to apply for a headship post in England are exempt from the mandatory requirement in the same way that serving head teachers in England would be.

Identity Fraud

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what training the Department has provided for (a) front desk and (b) administrative staff in relation to identity fraud.

Maria Eagle: The Department does provide training for front desk staff (receptionists and security guards) dealing with the public face to face. The induction training includes validating whether a person is who they say they are and whether they are allowed on site in their own right or whether they need to be escorted. After the induction, appointee must sign a declaration that they understand what they have been taught, that they know where the assignment instructions are kept should they need to refer to them and that they know who to contact for further guidance.
	In respect of administration staff, dealing with verifying identity is part of the Department's work in administering vetting cases and, in HR, when recruiting new members of staff. The Department's Special Investigations Unit also provides fraud awareness training to divisions on request.

Independent Committee on Examination Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 426W, on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, when the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority will be in a position to reconstitute the Independent Committee on Examination Standards;
	(2)  what plans she has to abolish the Independent Committee on Examination Standards.

Jacqui Smith: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) intends to have the reconstituted Independent Committee on Examination Standards in place to begin a new programme of work by the autumn. The management of the Independent Committee on Examination Standards is the responsibility of the QCA, as regulator for examination standards in England.

Inter-ministerial Meetings (Scottish Executive)

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many inter-ministerial meetings her Department has held with the Scottish Executive since May 1999; and what the (a) Scottish Executive Department concerned, (b) subject and (c) date was in each case.

Maria Eagle: Ministers have regular dialogues with Ministerial colleagues in the Scottish Executive, discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest. It is not our practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Local Education Authorities (Structure)

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities have (a) moved from two tier to three tier, (b) moved from three tier to two tier, (c) reviewed their three tier structure and decided to keep it (i) entirely and (ii) in part, (d) reviewed their two tier structure and decided to keep it (i) entirely and (ii) in part and (e) operate a mixed two tier and three tier structure.

Jacqui Smith: As at January 2005 there were 24 local authorities (LA) in England that had a total of 367 middle schools, 235 of which were for children aged 9 to 13. The table lists the 24 local authorities and details of numbers of schools for each.
	
		Maintained primary, middle and secondary schools: number of schoolsJanuary 2005: local authorities with middle schools
		
			   Maintained primary, middle and secondary schools 
			   Number of primary and secondary schools Number of middle schools(8) of which: middle schools 913(8) Total number of schools 
		
		
			 820 Bedfordshire 163 40 40 203 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 232 1 1 233 
			 835 Dorset 158 16 16 174 
			 310 Harrow 47 19 0 66 
			 919 Hertfordshire 492 6 6 498 
			 921 Isle of Wight 51 16 16 67 
			 886 Kent 575 3 3 578 
			 382 Kirklees 177 7 5 184 
			 855 Leicestershire 270 10 0 280 
			 826 Milton Keynes 82 17 0 99 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 83 6 4 89 
			 926 Norfolk 388 49 0 437 
			 392 North Tyneside 67 4 4 71 
			 815 North Yorkshire 374 2 0 376 
			 928 Northamptonshire 310 2 2 312 
			 929 Northumberland 156 44 44 200 
			 836 Poole 29 9 1 38 
			 933 Somerset 254 9 9 263 
			 860 Staffordshire 363 14 14 377 
			 935 Suffolk 292 40 40 332 
			 938 West Sussex 268 14 0 282 
			 865 Wiltshire 245 3 2 248 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 55 4 4 59 
			 885 Worcestershire 217 32 24 249 
		
	
	(8) School types derived from returns made by schools to the Department in the Annual Schools' Census. (Information is not yet available from January 2006 Annual Schools Census)
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	We are not routinely informed of LAs' plans for reorganisation until they decide to proceed and publish statutory notice but we do know that a number of LAs are looking at their middle school systems in the context of falling rolls and surplus places.
	The following LAs have obtained approval for reorganisation schemes to remove some of their middle schools for implementation from 2005 onwards:
	Devon
	Dorset
	Northumberland
	Norfolk
	Milton Keynes and
	Worcestershire.
	We have no information to suggest that any LAs are considering moving from a two tier to three tier structure. We do not routinely collect information about reviews of education provision conducted by LAs in relation to two and three tier structures.
	The organisation of school provision is a local matter. LAs have overall responsibility for ensuring that there are sufficient schools to meet local needs and final decisions on proposals to change the pattern of provision would normally be made by the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or schools adjudicator.

Mature Students

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 10 most popular subjects taken up by mature students in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table.
	
		The 10 most popular subjects for mature(9) enrolments, at English HE institutions, 2004/05
		
			 JACS subject Enrolments 
		
		
			 Total mature enrolments, all subjects 1,212,365 
			 of which:  
			 Nursing 140,755 
			 Combined(10) 101,150 
			 Business studies 66,080 
			 Academic studies in education 58,815 
			 Training teachers 45,775 
			 Social work 39,705 
			 Management studies 39,085 
			 Computer science 39,000 
			 Others in subjects allied to medicine(11) 32,825 
			 Psychology 32,700 
		
	
	(9) 'Mature' enrolments are those aged 21 years or over on undergraduate courses or 25 years or over on postgraduate courses.
	(10) Around 70 per cent. of these are students at the Open University who code a large number of their courses as 'Combined' in their HESA return.
	(11) Includes 'Environmental health', 'Occupational health', 'Occupational therapy' and 'Counselling'.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.
	Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Subjects are classified using the Joint Academic Coding scheme (JACS).

New School Providers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the delivery of education to a specified number of pupils will be a pre-requisite of the authorisation of a new school provider.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 87W, which explained that decisions about the provision of new schools will be taken by local authorities, in their modernised role as the commissioners of education in their areas, or by the schools adjudicator. Local authorities and the schools adjudicator will consider all proposals for new schools on their individual merits.

New School Providers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department will impose limits on the number of new school providers in any given local authority area.

Jacqui Smith: No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 87W, which explained that decisions about the provision of new schools will be taken by local authorities, in their modernised role as the commissioners of education in their areas, or by the schools adjudicator.

Postgraduate Courses

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of entrants to postgraduate courses in 200405 had already obtained (a) an honours degree and (b) an ordinary degree; and how many and what proportion had attained (i) first, (ii) upper-second, (iii) lower-second and (iv) third class honours.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the tables. Details of degree classifications on entry to postgraduate courses are available for entrants to postgraduate certificate of education courses only.
	
		Highest qualification on entry for UK domiciled entrants to postgraduate(12) courses at English HE institutions, 2004/05
		
			 Level of highest qualification on entry Entrants Percentage (of known) 
		
		
			 Postgraduate qualifications 31,045 22 
			 Graduate level qualifications 89,870 65 
			 Other HE qualifications 11,175 8 
			 Below HE qualifications (inc prior experience) 6,950 5 
			 Total known 139,035 100 
			 Not Known 9,695 n/a 
			 Total 148,730 n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not applicable.
	(12) Includes doctorates, masters, PGCE, postgraduate diplomas and certificates and postgraduate professional qualifications.
	Note:
	Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.
	Figures for the degree classification of entrants to postgraduate certificate of education courses are shown in the following table:
	
		Degree classification for UK domiciled entrants to PGCE courses at English HE institutions 2004/05
		
			 Degree classification Entrants Percentage (of known) 
		
		
			 1st 1,965 8 
			 Upper 2nd 12,180 50 
			 Lower 2nd 8,260 34 
			 3rd 860 4 
			 Below a 3rd (honours) 85 0 
			 Pass 280 1 
			 Ordinary degree 415 2 
			 General degree 300 1 
			 Total Known 24,340 100 
			 Not Known 1,720 n/a 
			 Not applicable 520 n/a 
			 Total 26,575 n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not applicable.
	Note:
	Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Postgraduate Courses

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A-level attainment has been of entrants to postgraduate courses leading to qualified teacher status in each year since 1995.

Bill Rammell: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pupil Performance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards replacement of the pupil achievement tracker and the performance and assessment reports with RAISEonline; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: RAISEonline is being developed jointly by my Department and Ofsted.
	An initial pilot of RAISEonline took place in December 2005 with 250 users. An extended pilot of the full system involving 2000 users will take place in May 2006. The full system is expected to be implemented in July 2006, as planned.

Pupil Performance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on producing the revised version of the 2005 unvalidated Secondary Performance and Assessment reports; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Maurice Smith, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Maurice Smith, dated 30 January 2006
	Your recent parliamentary question has been referred to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of schools, for reply.
	You asked how much was spent on producing the revised version of the 2005 unvalidated Secondary Performance and Assessment reports.
	In response, the New Style PANDA based on 2005 unvalidated data released on 23 December 2005 contained an error. The analysis in table 3.4.14 excluded A* grades from the calculations. The error required one line of programming code to be corrected. Following the correction the production of the revised documents required IT processing time which incurred no additional cost. The only additional cost was for a letter sent to all secondary schools informing them of the error and the remedial action being taken. This additional letter cost 1,500.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jacqui Smith and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

School Improvement Services

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to assist local authorities with School Improvement Services rated unsatisfactory by Ofsted.

Jacqui Smith: Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a local authority is failing to perform its duties to the minimum standards required, the Secretary of State has the power to intervene. Forms of intervention and engagement are decided in the light of independent evidence and tailored to the specific needs of the local authority. The authority will receive co-ordinated support and advice from officials in the Government Office, DfES advisers and from senior officers of the Primary and Secondary National Strategies. Action taken to improve local authority services following an Ofsted unsatisfactory rating has included establishing partnership arrangements with a high performing local authority and directing the outsourcing of the strategic management of services. Similar action will be taken in future in the light of evidence from the new Joint Area Review undertaken by Ofsted and other inspectorates. From this April, Directors for Children and Learners (DCLs), based in the Government Offices, will provide tailored support and challenge for every local authority in their region. This will be based around annual priorities meetings, at which DCLs, local authorities and their partners discuss local priorities in the context of national priorities and the action being taken to address areas of weakness and concern.

Schools Funding (England)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the real terms change in total revenue funding per pupil in schools will be in England between 199798 and 200708; and what the equivalent change was between 197980 and 199798.

Jacqui Smith: By 200708, total revenue funding per pupil will have increased nationally by over 1,400 in real terms since 199798, an increase of some 50 per cent. Information is not available prior to 199798 on the same basis.
	Notes:
	1. Funding consistent with Education Standard Spending/Education Formula Spending plus all schools-related revenue grants in DfES's departmental expenditure limit which are relevant to pupils aged 319. Funding excludes child care and Surestart. 2. Calculations are based on full-time equivalent pupils aged 319 in maintained schools in England. This includes estimated numbers of three-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational establishments. 3. Includes funding for academies and specialist schools but excludes CTCs. 4. Pensions transfers to Education Formula Spending have been deducted from 200304 onwards, with notional transfers for the final two years. 5. Real terms figures have been calculated using the September 2005 gross domestic product deflators with 200405 as the base year.

Services Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received on the education of service children in state schools.

Jacqui Smith: We received a paper from the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) on behalf of the head teacher of a primary school in his constituency with a high proportion of children from service families. The paper outlines the background to his case that schools with service children should be recognised and supported, provides details of the difficulties faced by the children and by schools like his, and suggests possible solutions.
	I had arranged to meet the right hon. Member and the head teacher to discuss these issues. The right hon. Member had to cancel that meeting but I remain happy to meet him to discuss this important matter.

Services Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to meet the particular educational needs of the children of servicemen and women; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Children of servicemen and women can face extra challenges in education, mainly because their parents' redeployment leads to frequent changes of schools. A working group comprising head teachers from schools with significant numbers of children of service personnel, officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education and Skills, and the Children's Education Advisory Service (an MOD agency that supports service families) meets regularly to examine the needs of these children and identify possible solutions. Funding arrangements are in place to help schools manage high pupil mobility and local authorities are encouraged to use their funding flexibly to help service schools. DfES officials also work closely with Service Children's Education, an MOD agency responsible for forces schools abroad, to ensure that service children get the same education abroad that they would receive in this country. The school admissions code of practice advises admission authorities to take account of the needs of service families. Admission authorities can accept applications from parents returning to the area some months in advance and allocate a school place for when the family returns. In areas with a significant standing presence of service personnel, service representatives should be invited to join the admissions forum.

Services Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school pupils in England are the children of servicemen and women.

Jacqui Smith: The information is not collected centrally.

Special Measures

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will list local education authorities in which there are (a) three to five and (b) more than six schools in special measures;
	(2)  if she will list the local education authorities in which (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six and (e) seven or more schools are in special measures.

Jacqui Smith: The information is set out in the following tables:
	
		Local authorities with 3 to 5 schools in special measures
		
			 Local authority Number 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 
			 Bradford 5 
			 Bristol 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 
			 Cornwall 5 
			 Croydon 3 
			 Cumbria 3 
			 Derbyshire 3 
			 Devon 4 
			 Doncaster(13) 4 
			 Essex 5 
			 Gloucestershire 3 
			 Hampshire 4 
			 Lancashire 3 
			 Lincolnshire 4 
			 Norfolk 5 
			 Rotherham 3 
			 Salford 4 
			 Sandwell 4 
			 Southwark 3 
			 Stoke on Trent 5 
			 Wiltshire 4 
			 Worcestershire 5 
		
	
	(13) One school listed is in Doncaster but is a non-maintained special school.
	
		Local authorities with 6 or more schools in special measures
		
			 Local authority Number 
		
		
			 Birmingham 6 
			 Kent 6 
			 Kirklees 6 
			 Leicestershire 6 
			 Northamptonshire 7 
			 Somerset 7 
			 Staffordshire 6 
			 Surrey 7 
			 Warwickshire 6

Special Measures

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been in special measures for longer than nine terms in each year since 1995.

Jacqui Smith: The number of schools that have been in special measures for more than nine terms at the end of each academic year since 1995 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Academic year Number of schools in special measures for more than nine terms 
		
		
			 1994/95 0 
			 1995/96 2 
			 1996/97 6 
			 1997/98 14 
			 1998/99 10 
			 1999/2000 3 
			 2000/01 9 
			 2001/02 6 
			 2002/03 10 
			 2003/04 4 
			 2004/05 3 
		
	
	Two schools are currently still in special measures after nine terms.

Teachers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2005, Official Report, column 533W, on teachers, how many first degree initial teacher training qualifiers at English higher education institutions were domiciled (a) within the UK and (b) overseas.

Bill Rammell: Figures for the academic year 2004/05 were released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on 10 January, so figures for 2003/04 and 2004/05 are given in the table.
	
		First degree initial teacher training (with QTS) qualifiers at English HE institutions
		
			 Domicile 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 UK 5,985 5,705 
			 EU and other overseas 85 65 
			 Total 6,070 5,770 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Teachers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers in England have reported a violent incident against them carried out by (a) a pupil and (b) a parent or guardian of a pupil in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Teachers

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were employed in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the (i) City of York and (ii) North Yorkshire Education Authority in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of regular teachers employed in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in the City of York and North Yorkshire local authorities in each January since 1996.
	
		Full-time equivalent teachers in nursery, primary and secondary maintained schools in the City of York and North Yorkshire local authorities, 1996 to 2005
		
			  City of York North Yorkshire 
			  Nursery/Primary Secondary Nursery/Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 1996(14) n/a n/a 2,710 3,020 
			 1997 630 600 2,140 2,340 
			 1998 610 600 2,060 2,390 
			 1999 630 600 2,090 2,480 
			 2000 650 640 2,170 2,550 
			 2001 650 660 2,230 2,590 
			 2002 680 650 2,270 2,570 
			 2003 640 680 2,250 2,630 
			 2004 630 700 2,200 2,750 
			 2005 620 700 2,200 2,760 
		
	
	n/a=not applicable.
	(14) In April 1996 North Yorkshire was reorganised into two authorities, City of York and North Yorkshire.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual survey of teacher numbers and teacher vacancies, Form 618G.

Teachers

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional resources her Department is providing to schools to finance teachers' preparation, planning and assessment time; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 January 2006
	Consideration was given to the additional resources that all schools might require to implement planning, preparation and implementation (PPA) time. Accordingly we estimate the cost of implementing PPA time from September 2005 will add an additional 0.7 per cent. to the cost pressures on primary schools for 200607and that has been added to the universal cost pressures on schools for 200607 to give a Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) for nursery and primary schools of 4 per cent. for that year. The MFG figure for secondary and special schools will be set at 3.4 per cent. for 200607.
	The overall increase in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocation for 200607 is 6.4 per cent., within which there is an indicative allocation of 70 million for implementing the final phase of workforce reform in primary schools. This funding will be consolidated into the DSG baseline for 200708.
	Individual local authorities should decide, after consultation with their Schools Forums, how much additional funding they should allocate in 200607 for PPA.

Truancy

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils played truant from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on unauthorised 1 absence is shown in the table.
	1 Unauthorised absence includes other forms of absence such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy. Truancy forms only one part of the unauthorised figures.
	
		Pupils with at least one session of unauthorised absence in maintained schools
		
			  Number of pupils absent 
			  Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 2001 591,393 541,968 
			 2002 564,445 566,644 
			 2003 564,664 631,669 
			 2004 567,503 696,600 
			 2005 583,859 774,347

Trust Schools

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether trust schools will be entirely self-governing in respect of sex education.

Jacqui Smith: As for all maintained schools, trust schools will need to meet the requirements for sex education as set out in national curriculum science. They will also be required to have regard to the guidance on sex and relationship education issued by the Secretary of State when determining their sex education policy. Beyond this, trust schools will be free to use the non-statutory framework for personal, social and health education to develop their programmes further taking into account the views of parents and the needs of pupils.

University Students

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which 10 universities attracted the (a) highest and (b) lowest numbers of students from working class backgrounds in the last period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: Information for Higher Education Institutions is published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in the annual publication Performance Indicators in Higher Education. The latest available figures on the percentage of young full time first degree entrants from National StatisticsSocio Economic Classes (NS-SEC) 4, 5, 6 and 7 are shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of young full-time first degree entrants from National StatisticsSocio Economic Classes 47English HE institutions2003/04
		
			 HE institution Number of young full time first degree entrants Percentage with known data Percentage from NS-SEC 47(15) 
		
		
			 10 institutions with the highest percentage
			 Harper Adams University College 210 89.6 68.3 
			 University of Bradford 1,185 71.4 49.2 
			 Newman College of HE 255 73.5 48.7 
			 University of Wolverhampton 2,160 70.5 48.5 
			 University of Greenwich 1,595 71.5 45.8 
			 University of Luton 600 62.3 44.8 
			 Middlesex University 1,840 53.5 44.0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 215 88.4 43.5 
			 London Metropolitan University 1,890 48.9 43.0 
			 University of Westminster 2,670 66.6 43.0 
			 
			 10 institutions with the lowest percentage
			 Royal Veterinary College 225 95.2 17.1 
			 University of Exeter 2,220 92.2 16.6 
			 University of York 1,940 93.9 16.6 
			 University of Nottingham 4,090 94.7 16.1 
			 University of Durham 3,295 92.9 15.8 
			 University of Bristol 2,725 93.8 14.1 
			 University of Oxford 2,895 95.0 11.5 
			 University of Cambridge 2,900 95.3 11.4 
			 Courtauld Institute of Art 35 97.1 9.1 
			 Royal Academy of Music 65 91.0 8.2 
		
	
	(15) 4: small employers and own account workers
	5: lower supervisory and technical occupations
	6: semi-routine occupations
	7: routine occupations
	Source:
	Higher education Statistics Agency (HESA) 'Performance Indicators in HE'.

Vocational Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her policy to extend vocational curriculum options for children aged 14-to-16 years.

Phil Hope: The 14-to-19 Education and Skills White Paper and the Implementation Plan (published December 2005) lay out detailed proposals for changes to the 14-to-19 curriculum. Key to these changes is the introduction of specialised diplomas, which will be available to young people from age 14, in 14 sector-related lines of learning. Specialised diplomas will provide young people with the skills and knowledge they need to progress into skilled employment, training and further or higher education; the diplomas will have a significant focus on applied learning. Employers are leading on the content development of the specialised diplomas, to ensure that these qualifications teach young people skills that have real currency in the labour market. The first five diplomas will be piloted from 2008; all 14 lines will be available from 2010, and there will be a national entitlement to a diploma course from 2013.
	The 14-to-19 Education and Skills White Paper also proposed a work-focused programme to motivate 14-to-16 year-olds with relatively low attainment, who are at serious risk of disaffection, building on the lessons of the Entry to Employment programme for 16-to-19 year-olds. Pilots are to start from 20067, and the White Paper suggested a figure of up to 10,000 young people on the programme from 20078.
	The Young Apprentices programme, which provides an opportunity for 14-to-16 year olds to gain a taste of 'real work' through two days a week (or equivalent) work experience, and to pursue qualifications that relate to particular occupational sectors, as well as following core national curriculum subjects, will continue to run. So too will the Increased Flexibility Programme, in which 14-to-16 year olds have the opportunity to study off-site at a college or training provider for one or two days a week throughout Key Stage 4. The pupils may work towards vocational and work related qualifications, and so develop their knowledge and understanding in a work context. GCSEs in vocational subjects will also continue to be offered: there are currently eight titles available, each of which is a double award. A further six titles are being developed; in some cases, these will be single, rather than double, awards.
	In addition to these specific learning programmes, from September 2004 there has also been a statutory requirement for all pupils to undertake some work-related learning at Key Stage 4, through planned activity that uses the context of work to develop knowledge, skills and understanding useful for work.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

ASBOs (Legal Aid)

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the largest amount paid in legal aid has been in respect of an individual appealing against an antisocial behaviour order.

Bridget Prentice: The largest amount paid in legal aid in respect of an individual appealing against a free-standing antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) as at December 2005 was 3,230. These funds were granted to pay for an appeal to the Crown court.
	This does not include those appeals against ASBOs that also form part of a wider appeal in civil and criminal proceedings. The ASBO element of these cases could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

City Status

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  whether she plans to award city status to towns to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's 80th birthday;
	(2)  when city status will next be awarded to towns in the UK.

Harriet Harman: There are no plans to make further grants of city status in the near future. It is for Her Majesty the Queen to decide when a grant of city status should be made. Competitions are usually held to mark important royal anniversaries which are national in nature, not personal. The Queen's 80th birthday is a personal anniversary, being marked by other events.

Immigration Appeals Centres

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals have been heard at each immigration appeals centre in the UK in each of the last five years; and how many were successful in each centre in each year.

Bridget Prentice: Information taken from the databases of the AIT and its predecessor the immigration appellate authority (IAA), showing the proportion of successful appeals for all case types at the adjudicator and immigration judge stage, is set out for the past five years as follows.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of decisions Percentage allowed 
		
		
			 200001 34,226 19 
			 200102 61,816 24 
			 200203 92,941 25 
			 200304 110,223 25 
			 200405 105,590 28 
			 4 April to September 2005 (200506) 48,638 30 
		
	
	The information for the period April to September 2005 is provisional.
	It has not been possible to provide information on volumes of successful appeals broken down into individual hearing centres.
	From the period April 2004 to September 2005 it has been possible to set out the volume of promulgations per hearing centre, although it is not possible to break this down into appeal outcomes.
	
		
			 Hearing centre April 2004 to March 2005 April 2005 to September 2005 
		
		
			 Birmingham/Walsall 11,956 5,186 
			 Bradford 7,875 3,149 
			 Field House 24 132 
			 Glasgow 3,255 1,517 
			 Hatton Cross/Surbiton/  Harmondsworth 26,305 12,529 
			 Manchester 8,852 3,828 
			 Newport 5,426 3,222 
			 North Shields 4,964 1,962 
			 Stoke/Nottingham 8,254 3,606 
			 Taylor House/Croydon 28,147 12,750 
			 Other 533 756 
			 Total 105,590 48,638 
		
	
	The number of decisions in each period relate to the number of appeals promulgated in the period and not to the volume of appeal hearings.

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimates she has made of the savings that would have been made had means testing for legal aid in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts not been abolished in 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The previous means testing system was abolished because it was inefficient and costly to administer. In 199798, criminal legal aid contributions totalled 6.2 million, but the direct cost of administering the system was 5 million.
	The purpose of re-introducing means testing through the Criminal Defence Service Bill is to ensure that the significant number of defendants who can afford to pay for their defence costs are now made to do so. The new means testing model will avoid the bureaucracy and delay associated with the ineffective contributory system of the past. Its implementation in the magistrates courts alone will deliver estimated annual savings of at least 35 million.

National Mediation Helpline

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people are employed at the National Mediation Helpline.

Bridget Prentice: The Department has funded one full-time operator to work on the National Mediation Helpline for a year. Up to three other trained operators are available, on a part-time basis, to handle calls at peak times.

Visitor Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of (a) oral and (b) written appeals against refusals for visitor visas were successful in each year since 2000.

Bridget Prentice: The proportion of family visitor appeals found in favour of the appellant in each year since 2000 at the adjudicator or immigration judge stage, is as follows.
	
		Percentage
		
			 1 April to 31 March Paper hearing Oral hearing 
		
		
			 200001 32 64 
			 200102 39 71 
			 200203 39 66 
			 200304 38 58 
			 200405 37 57 
			 2005 (April to September) 31 52 
		
	
	The information for the period 2000 to 2004 is taken from the database of the asylum and immigration tribunal's (AIT) predecessor, the immigration appellate authority (IAA). The provisional information for 2005 is taken from the database of the AIT.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Consultant Referrals

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, under the new consultant referral arrangements, a general practitioner may refer a patient to the relevant consultants' waiting list before his existing referrals have been dealt with.

Shaun Woodward: Under the new arrangements which I announced in January, all primary care referrals will be handled by a new central referrals management system from where, if they are non-urgent, they will be forwarded to new Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services (ICATS) for assessment of the most appropriate next step.
	Separate arrangements will be put in place to find an appropriate and equitable resolution for existing referrals. These are currently being developed in collaboration with general practitioners and consultants.

Departmental Staff

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people employed by the Northern Ireland Office are based in each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows a breakdown of Northern Ireland Office staff across each of the 18 parliamentary constituencies.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency Number of staff 
		
		
			 Belfast East 690 
			 Belfast North 49 
			 Belfast South 672 
			 Belfast West 3 
			 East Antrim 172 
			 East Londonderry 66 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1 
			 Foyle 7 
			 Lagan Valley 107 
			 Mid Ulster 1 
			 Newry and Armagh 2 
			 North Antrim 1 
			 North Down 11 
			 South Antrim 1 
			 South Down 1 
			 Strangford 19 
			 Upper Bann 3 
			 West Tyrone 22 
			 Total 1,828 
		
	
	The above figures include Northern Ireland civil service and Home civil service staff, industrial and non-industrial, permanent and temporary staff but not staff currently on career break, uniform Prison Service staff or Youth Justice Agency social workers at 1 January 2005.

Departmental Targets

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what data source he will use for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target number 3;
	(2)  what data source he will use for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target number 2;
	(3)  which data source he will use for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 1.

Peter Hain: In common with the other Whitehall departments, the Northern Ireland Office provides details of the data sources used to measure performance against its 2004 public service agreement (PSA) targets in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) SR2004 PSA technical notes which is available on the NIO website at http://www.nio.gov.uk. The SR2004 technical notes will also appear in the NIO's 2005 autumn performance report, due to be published on 15 December 2005, which reports progress against the PSA targets during the period April to September 2005.

Departmental Targets

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the data required to measure 2004 public service agreement target number 1 are from consistent data sources.

Shaun Woodward: There are two elements to the Northern Ireland Office's public service agreement target number 1. The first relates to increasing confidence in the police and policing arrangements and the second to increasing Catholic representation in the police service.
	The composite baseline measure for confidence in the police and policing arrangement element of PSA target number 1 was calculated using a weighted average of three indicators from the April 2004 Northern Ireland omnibus survey (NIOS) and four indicators from the 200304 Northern Ireland crime survey (NICS). The now continuous NICS will be used to measure progress towards achieving this part of the target.
	Both surveys are conducted by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency in accordance with national statistics principles. Their samples are drawn from a common sampling frame and are representative of the adult population of Northern Ireland. The NIOS, used to monitor performance during SR 2002, is conducted several times a year and has a smaller sample size than the NICS. From 2005, the NICS has moved from a biennial to a continuous basis, facilitating the production of more robust and more frequent performance measurement data than that previously available.
	Data in relation to Catholic representation in the police has consistently been provided by the PSNI. The source of this data is the notification by existing officers of their primary school attendance. The religious affiliation of new recruits will be determined from their own declarations based on guidance issued by the Equality Commission.

Housing

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the Planning Policy Statement on housing in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: It is anticipated that draft Planning Policy Statement 14Sustainable Development in the Countryside, that will contain policies on housing in rural areas, will be published in the first quarter of 2006.

Martin Kelly

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to the investigation into the disappearance of Martin Kelly from Holywood in County Down.

Shaun Woodward: I am being kept fully informed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland about any developments in this case. However, as this is part of a live police investigation, I am unable to comment further.

Private Pensions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to alleviate the financial difficulties of pensioners in Northern Ireland who have private pensions on which they pay a significant proportion of tax.

David Hanson: Almost half of United Kingdom pensioners pay no income tax. For those who do, the age-related personal allowances in 200607 for people aged between 65 and 74 will rise from 7,090 to 7,280, and for people aged 75 and over from 7,220 to 7,420. This means that no person aged 65 or over will pay tax on an income of less than 140 per week.
	This Government has introduced a number of measures since 1997 to help pensioners enjoy a better standard of living, including higher state pensions, pension credit, winter fuel payments and age-related payments. In addition to helping the poorest pensioners, pension credit specifically targets extra money on those with modest savings or income, for example, from a private pension. As a result of these measures across the United Kingdom over 10 billion more will be spent on pensioners in 200607 than in 1997.

Search Warrants

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many search warrants have been granted in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not hold this information on a central record. To obtain such details would require a manual trawl of records across all district command units and as such could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Troubles (Injuries/Deaths)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) police and military and (b) civilian (i) deaths, (ii) serious injuries related to the troubles have occurred in each (A) ward and (B) constituency in Northern Ireland since 1976, listed in descending order.

Shaun Woodward: PSNI has advised that it continues to research this material, which must be cross-referenced with Historical Inquiry Team records before final submission.
	The statistics collated by the PSNI relate to deaths only and, as presented, do not currently differentiate between security forces and civilians. Moreover, they are presented as a Northern Ireland wide total and do not breakdown by District Command Unit (DCU) area. To have to break down by serious injury etc. now would require a manual trawl of records at disproportionate cost.

Valuation and Lands Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 2 December 2005, Official Report, column 838W, on the Valuation and Lands Agency, if he will place in the Library a copy of the updated Health and Safety in the Field Policy document to staff.

Angela Smith: Operation of the Health and Safety in the Field Policy has resulted in a number of amendments. These are being incorporated into a revised document, which will be available in March 2006. On issue a copy of this will be placed in the Library.

Waste Management Grant

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes there have been to the level of waste management grant to district councils in Northern Ireland since January 2005; and whether grants are ring-fenced for capital expenditure.

Angela Smith: The waste management grant to district councils for 200405 was 10 million, with a further 10 million anticipated for closing the scheme in 200506.
	Since January 2005, the overall level of the next, and final phase of support, has been reduced to 9 million. This grant will now be made available over two years in two tranches; 7 million in 200607 and 2 million in 200708, and restricted to capital projects only. The scheme will close in March 2008.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what advice his Department issues for members of the public wishing to make a complaint against the Crown Prosecution Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) operates its own complaints procedure. This is outlined in the CPS complaints leaflet; copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library and on the CPS website (www.cps.gov.uk)
	If a member of the public contacts the Attorney General's Office to make a complaint about the CPS, they are directed to the CPS so that their complaint can be dealt with via the CPS's complaints procedure.
	Where a complainant has exhausted the CPS's complaints procedure, they can have the handling of their complaint examined by the Correspondence Unit within the Attorney General's Office. The Unit does not undertake another review of the merit of the complaint itself, but will examine whether the CPS has handled the complaint in accordance with their established procedure.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the complaints procedures for the Crown Prosecution Service;
	(2)  whether he plans to review the complaints procedures for the Crown Prosecution Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service manages its complaints procedure and reviews it at regular intervals. Officials indicate that the arrangements work satisfactorily.

Departmental Staff

Bob Spink: To ask the Solicitor-General how many disciplinary actions against civil servants employed in the Law Officers Departments (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The figures in relation to my Departments are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Disciplinary action commenced Sanction 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 
		
		
			 Treasury Solicitor's Department 1 1 5 6 2 1 1 1 4 6 1 (16) 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 7 23 19 24 27  3 5 15 9 17  
			 Serious Fraud Office (17) (17) 10 7 3  (17) (17) 8 3 2  
			 HM Crown Prosecution Service  Inspectorate1  (18)   
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecutions  Office (RCPO)(19) 
		
	
	(16) Proceedings not completed.
	(17) No systematic records were kept prior to 2003.
	(18) Ongoing.
	(19) Since its creation, on 18 April 2004, the RCPO has not commenced any disciplinary action against civil servants employed or taken action that has resulted in a sanction being applied.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether assets and units of 16 Air Assault Brigade will be made available for taking part in the US Operation Enduring Freedom.

John Reid: holding answer 31 January 2006
	United Kingdom forces deploying to Southern Afghanistanincluding elements of 16 Air Assault Brigadewill carry out tasks identified by NATO to help build the capacity of the Afghan Government, maintain security, and help the Afghanis rebuild their economy and society; they will initially come under Coalition command until Transfer of Authority for Stage III of ISAF expansion to NATO. UK forces will continue to operate under UK targeting directives and UK Rules of Engagement. Throughout, the UK force will operate in pursuit of the ISAF objectives.

Afghanistan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which North Atlantic Council Resolution United Kingdom forces have been deployed to Afghanistan since 2003.

John Reid: The international security assistance force (ISAF) operates under the authority of United Nations' Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). The North Atlantic Council does not pass resolutions but its decisions have defined the support given by NATO to the ISAF. The first of these was taken on 17 October 2002. On 16 April 2003 the council agreed NATO should take command of the ISAF later that year, and on 1 December 2003, confirmed NATO should proceed with the progressive expansion of the ISAF.

C-17

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken in the past six months to lease further C-17s from Boeing to expand the capacity of the air bridge to Iraq.

Adam Ingram: We keep our strategic airlift capability under review, and have considered a range of options for enhancing our capability. Over the past six months we have enhanced our capacity in support of operations in Iraq through the charter of large aircraft.

Conflict Prevention

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's budget was allocated to conflict prevention in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506.

Adam Ingram: All Defence expenditure contributes to the overarching Defence aim, which is to
	deliver security for the people of the United Kingdom and the overseas territories by defending them, including against terrorism, and to act as a force for good by strengthening international peace and security.
	Conflict prevention is an integral part of this.
	The costs of specific conflict prevention activities (including security and peace-building tasks) are voted for separately by Parliament, through either the HM Treasury reserve or the conflict prevention pools. As such, these funds do not form part of the Defence budget.
	On this basis, the Department was voted additional resources for conflict prevention activities of around 1.5 billion in 200304 and 1.1 billion in 200405. For the financial year 200506, the resources required based on the level of conflict prevention activity in the financial year will be reflected in the spring supplementary estimates.

Daedalus Site, Lee-on-the-Solent

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) public and (b) other bodies which are negotiating to acquire an interest in the Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent; what the nature of that interest is in each case; and if he will ensure that local authorities and other interested bodies have opportunities for consultation before any commitment to transfer land is finalised.

Don Touhig: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will be acquiring a freehold interest in the airfield site, which will enable them to implement the Government's maritime safety policy. Hampshire police will be acquiring a leasehold interest from the MCA. This will enable the police authority to continue with its important surveillance operations.
	The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) will be acquiring a freehold interest in the balance of the Daedalus site. In accordance with the Regional Development Agencies Act 1988, SEEDA will promote regeneration of the area including business efficiency, investment and competitiveness, employment and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.
	It is the intention to reserve a right for the RN Gliding Centre to continue its glider training programme in accordance with MCA's operational procedures.
	Upon decommissioning of the site in 1996 the Daedalus Strategy Group was formed comprising Gosport and Fareham borough councils and Hampshire county council. Throughout the holding period, the Ministry of Defence has consulted fully with this group and all key stakeholders. It is now more appropriate that these consultations should be continued by SEEDA and MCA.

DCAE Cosford

Patrick McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he next plans to visit DCAE Cosford;
	(2)  how many jobs DCAE Cosford supports (a) directly and (b) indirectly in the West Midlands economy; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: DCAE Cosford directly supports 1,243 jobs. Of these 562 are military personnel, 481 are civilian staff and 200 personnel are currently engaged as contractors. The Department does not hold a figure for the number of jobs indirectly supported by DCAE Cosford in the West Midlands.
	Defence Ministers have no plans at present to visit DCAE Cosford.

Departmental Websites

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of maintaining his main departmental website was for the last year for which figures are available; and how many visitors there were to the site in each of the last 12 months.

Don Touhig: The cost of maintaining the Ministry of Defence's main departmental website www.mod.uk was 127,192 in the financial year 200405. The website received the following number of visitors in each of the past seven months. Figures for the period January to June 2005 are unavailable.
	
		
			  Number of visitors 
		
		
			 July 2005 241,278 
			 August 2005 223,588 
			 September 2005 231,649 
			 October 2005 206,174 
			 November 2005 204,908 
			 December 2005 160,392 
			 January 2006 203,623

Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the size of future aircraft carriers will prevent them from docking at (a) Portsmouth and (b) Plymouth; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 30 November 2005
	Portsmouth was selected in 2002 as the base-port for the future aircraft carriers (CVF). The approach channel will be realigned and widened to permit safe access for the carriers, and some dredging work within the harbour will be also required. CVF will be too large to enter Devonport Naval Base.

Gulf War Illness

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research has been provided to the Government on a possible relationship between the self reported use of nerve agent pre-treatment tablets and incidence of Gulf war illness.

Don Touhig: Research provided to the Government on possible associations between ill health among veterans of the 199091 Gulf conflict and exposures, including nerve agent pre-treatment set tablets, is generally in the form of published peer-reviewed medical/scientific papers and academic systematic reviews of such papers. Two reviews are considered of particular significance and authority.
	The active ingredient in NAPS tablets is the compound Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB). In 2000, the US Institute of Medicine's review Gulf War and Health: Volume 1. Depleted Uranium, Pyridostigmine Bromide, Sarin, and Vaccines, concluded that there was inadequate/insufficient evidence to determine whether an association does or does not exist between PB and long-term adverse health effects. In 2003, the UK Medical Research Council's review of research into UK Gulf veterans' illnesses noted that for many years PB has been used routinely to treat neuromuscular disease. This had involved much higher doses administered over long periods of time. No serious side effects have been observed as a result of the use of PB in this latter context.

Gulf War Illness

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many members of (a) the Fourth Armoured Brigade, (b) the Seventh Armoured Brigade, (c) the First Armoured Division Force Maintenance Area, (d) the RAF and (e) the Royal Navy involved in Operation Granby in 1991 have since been examined by the Gulf War Medical Assessment programme; how many in each category were found to be suffering from diagnosed neurological illnesses; and how many in each category are claiming war pensions for (i) neurological illnesses and (ii) non-neurological illnesses;
	(2)  how many cases of diagnosed (a) neurological and (b) auto-immune illnesses in 1991 Gulf war veterans have been examined by the Gulf War Medical Assessment programme since 1992.

Don Touhig: Since the Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment programme was established in 1993, it has medically assessed 3,278 199091 Gulf veterans. Of those seen, 2,521 were Army, 299 Navy and 458 RAF, of whom 117,17 and 27 respectively had neurological disorders.
	No unusual diseases or pattern of diseases were found. Of 161 cases of neurological disorder, the most common was migraine (43), followed by epilepsy (28) (22 idiopathic, 6 post traumatic) and multiple sclerosis (19). Of the 161 only one was medically assessed as a result of service in the Gulf. The remaining 71 veterans suffered a miscellaneous group of disorders, some of a genetic nature, others extant before deployment to the Gulf and others developing many years after return from the Gulf, none of which were assessed by Medical Assessment programme physicians to be caused by either deployment to the Gulf or medical countermeasures used during that campaign.
	In relation to auto-immune illnesses, there have been three cases of systemic lupus erythematosus autoimmune disease, and three cases of common variable immunodeficiency. Two of the latter were asymptomatic and discovered by chance. None of these six cases was assessed as being due to service in the 199091 Gulf conflict. However, since 2002, routine investigations for immune diseases have not been routinely undertaken unless clinically indicated.
	Information is not held centrally on the individual units that patients of the Medical Assessment programme served with in theatre, or the number of war pensions in payment to patients that have attended, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the average number of insurgent attacks in Multinational Division South East is for each month since January 2005; where they have occurred; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many incidents in Multinational Division South East for each month since January 2005 have been caused by use of improvised explosive devices; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: The total number of attacks in Multinational Division (South East) since January 2005 is 562 making the monthly average 46.8. We assess that 115 have been caused by improvised explosive devices. This makes the monthly average 9.5.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the infiltration by sectarian militias of (a) the Interior Ministry and (b) defence forces in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: Ethnic, religious and tribal loyalties are widespread within Iraqi society. Part of the reform and democratisation process of Iraqi institutions is the removal of those individuals whose loyalties are not to the state. The performance of the Iraqi Interior and Defence Ministries and of the Iraqi Security Forces will be important factors in determining the rate of transfer to Iraqi control of security and we continue to make detailed capability assessments of the Iraqi Security Forces within the UK area of responsibility.

Iraq

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British soldiers have been wounded in Iraq; how many were returned home as a result of their injuries; and whether his Department keeps records of their geographical location in the UK when they return.

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British (a) servicemen and (b) women have been very seriously injured in Iraq in each month since March 2003.

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in Iraq were wounded in (a) action and (b) accidents in each year since hostilities began, broken down by severity of injury.

John Reid: holding answers 20 December 2005 and 26 January 2006
	Centrally available records show that some 230 UK personnel have been treated at UK medical facilities in theatre for wounds received as a result of hostile action between March 2003 and December 2005 1 .
	Our Notification of Casualty reporting records also allow us to give a figure for those categorised in theatre as Very Seriously Ill/Injured/Wounded (VSI), meaning that their life was imminently endangered. Some 40 personnel were categorised as VSI as a result of injury or wounds, however caused, in Iraq between March 2003 and December 2005 2 .
	Separate records show that between February 2003 and December 2005 some 4,000 military and civilian personnel (including a few Iraqis) have been medically evacuated from theatre. The great majority of cases were due to illness or accidental injury and not as a result of hostile action.
	The MOD intends to publish casualty figures for Iraq on the MOD website in the next few weeks, identifying the number of personnel categorised as Seriously Injured and Very Seriously Injured. The figures will be updated regularly. I will write to inform the hon. and right hon. Members prior to the first publication.
	The Ministry of Defence keeps records of all armed forces personnel currently serving and where they are located. The Veterans Agency maintains up to date records of those troops that have been medically discharged in order to pay their medical pensions.
	1 Before October 2004, we only have centrally held records for the Shaibah UK Field Hospital. The figure does not include, for example, UK casualties of hostile action who were treated either by other UK Field Hospitals (early stages of operation onlyfor which unit records are not held centrally) or by coalition partners, or those with more minor injuries who did not receive Field Hospital treatment. From October 2004, the figure relates to all those wounded who were treated in any of the UK medical facilities in the UK-led Multi-National Division South East MND(SE) area. This figure excludes any personnel who subsequently died.
	2 The VSI figure excludes any personnel who subsequently died.

Iraq Service Medal

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many personnel are eligible for the Iraq service medal; how many medals have been awarded to date; and what the average time taken has been to award the medal;
	(2)  how many non-military personnel are eligible for the Iraq service medal; and how many have been awarded.

Don Touhig: The information is not held in the format requested, however, as at 20 January 2006 there have been 99,839 applications for the Iraq medal received from armed forces personnel of which 97,006 have been awarded. The current average waiting time from application to issue is three months.
	As at 20 January 2006 there have been 933 applications for the Iraq medal received from non-military personnel all of which have been awarded.

Qinetiq

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nature of the special share in Qinetiq to be retained by the Government.

John Reid: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The purpose of the Special (or Golden) Share in Qinetiq is solely to protect UK defence or security interests. The Ministry of Defence has held a Special Share in the Company for this purpose from the time of the Public Private Partnership Transaction with the Carlyle Group in 2003. The Government consider it necessary to retain this Special Share after the Initial Public Offering, adapted as necessary to reflect the new corporate structure of the Company.

Qinetiq

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government plans to reserve a proportion of shares in Qinetiq for small shareholders.

John Reid: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The Government do not intend reserving a proportion of shares for small shareholders in the forthcoming Initial Public Offering of Qinetiq.
	As is the case in any institutional offer, members of the public may apply for shares through a private client stockbroker, although there will be no allocation of shares reserved for that purpose. Members of the public will also be able to buy shares in Qinetiq once trading has commenced. The cost to the taxpayer of any special arrangement would be between 5 million and 23 million and based on advice from our financial advisers and it is the Government's view that inclusion of a retail offer in this way would not offer value for money for the taxpayer.

Qinetiq

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the availability of shares in Qinetiq to retail investors.

John Reid: holding answer 19 January 2006
	As is the case in any institutional offer, members of the public may apply for shares through a private client stockbroker, although there will be no allocation of shares reserved for that purpose. Members of the public will also be able to buy shares in Qinetiq once trading has commenced. The cost to the taxpayer of making particular and special provision, based on previous experience, would be between 5 million and 23 million and based on advice from our financial advisers, it is the Government's view that inclusion of a retail offer in this way would not offer value for money for the taxpayer.

Qinetiq

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on the flotation of Qinetiq; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The flotation of Qinetiq is the logical next step in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Defence Research announced in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review. The aims of the PPP were to strengthen the linkages between defence and civil technologies, encourage the commercial exploitation of the taxpayers' investment in science and technology, and create a sustainable future for DERA and its staff whilst retaining within Government (the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) those functions not appropriate to the private sector. The Government, informed by the advice of its professional advisers, believes that an Initial Public Offering (IPO) now provides the best route for Qinetiq further to develop its excellence as a supplier of advanced technology in a global market. Following the IPO, the MOD will continue to retain a significant stake in the company, and a Special Share to protect the United Kingdom's defence and security interests in Qinetiq.

Qinetiq

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of assets of Qinetiq prior to the sale of shares in 2002.

John Reid: The net asset value in the Qinetiq Group plc as shown in the annual report and financial statements for 2002 was 312.5million.

Qinetiq

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will refer the sale of Qinetiq to Carlyle in 2002 to the National Audit Office.

John Reid: The National Audit Office announced on 26 January that it would carry out a study into the Qinetiq Public Private Partnership. The study will include consideration of the sale to Carlyle, which took place in February 2003.
	It is routine for the NAO to look at complex PPP transactions of this sort and it would have been very surprising if it had not wished to examine the Qinetiq privatisation. The MOD welcomes its involvement and looks forward to co-operating fully with their work.

Qinetiq

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what privileges his Department's special share in Qinetiq will confer after flotation.

John Reid: The special share that the Ministry of Defence presently holds in Qinetiq will be retained after the flotation of the company, to protect UK defence or security interests, as at present. Along with the principal agreement, the special share gives MOD the ability, among other things, to:
	prohibit or restrict Qinetiq from undertaking activities which may lead to an unmanageable conflict of interest that would be damaging to the defence or security interests of the United Kingdom;
	veto any proposed contract, transaction, arrangement or activity which may result in what the MOD considers to be an unacceptable ownership, influence, control or activity of Qinetiq contrary to the defence or security interests of the United Kingdom; and
	require Qinetiq' s Board to take appropriate action to protect the defence or security interests of the United Kingdom.
	Further detail of the rights conferred to MOD by the special share is available in the Qinetiq sale prospectus, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 26 January 2006. This includes detailed summaries of the rights (pp.150 and 212), detail of restrictions on shareholdings (pp.17 and 55), and fuller details of the special share on pp. 244247.

Service Children's Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of 15-year-olds in schools operated by Service Children's Education achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades (a) A* to C and (b) A* to C including English and mathematics in each year since 1995.

Don Touhig: Service Children's Education (SCE) was launched as an agency of the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1996, at that point assuming responsibility for all Service schools located outwith the United Kingdom. I am therefore unable to provide the academic achievement for 1995. Academic results for 2005 currently await formal validation by representatives of Defence Internal Audit and will be published in the SCE Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House, prior to the summer recess. The relevant Agency results from 1996 to 2004 are set out in the tables:
	
		
			  1996 1997 1998 
			 GCSE(s) 5+ A* to C Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Total 190 45 193 44 218 48 
			 Total including Mathematics and English n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			 GCSE(s) 5+ A* to C Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Total 194 47 211 52 183 48 
			 Total including Mathematics and English n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 GCSE(s) 5+ A* to C Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Total 208 57 208 60 223 62 
			 Total including mathematics and English 183 50 166 48 169 47 
		
	
	n/a=not available

Service Children's Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of 11-year-olds in schools operated by Service Children's Education achieved level 4 in (a) English, (b) mathematics, (c) science, (d) reading, (e) writing, (f) reading and writing and (g) reading, writing and mathematics in each year since 1995.

Don Touhig: Service Children's Education (SCE) was launched as an agency of the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1996, at that point assuming responsibility for all Service schools located outwith the United Kingdom. I am therefore unable to provide details of academic achievement in 1995. Academic results for 2005 currently await formal validation by representatives of Defence Internal Audit and will be published in the SCE Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House, prior to the summer recess.
	The relevant Agency results from 1996 to 2004 are set out in the tables.
	
		
			  1996 1997 1998 
			 Subject(s) Level 4 or above Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 English 611 60 703 71 752 74 
			 Mathematics 601 59 715 73 696 68 
			 Science 682 67 767 78 800 79 
			 Reading n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Writing n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Reading and Writing n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Reading, Writing and Mathematics n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			 Subject(s) Level 4 or above Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 English 792 73 716 75 704 76 
			 Mathematics 699 70 662 72 639 69 
			 Science 817 81 802 88 843 91 
			 Reading n/a n/a n/a n/a 784 85 
			 Writing n/a n/a n/a n/a 536 58 
			 Reading and Writing n/a n/a n/a n/a 529 57 
			 Reading, Writing and Mathematics n/a n/a n/a n/a 464 50 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 Subject(s) Level 4 or above Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 English 617 75 636 77 691 82 
			 Mathematics 645 78 629 76 630 75 
			 Science 751 91 756 91 770 91 
			 Reading 699 85 696 84 726 86 
			 Writing 458 56 479 58 566 67 
			 Reading and Writing 444 54 471 57 546 65 
			 Reading, Writing and Mathematics 424 51 432 52 481 57 
		
	
	n/a=not available

Service Personnel

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 226W, on service personnel, what options he has identified for the use of trained mediators in the resolution of disputes; what measures were approved by the Service Personnel Group following its meeting of 19 January; and what the timetable is for further action.

Don Touhig: A number of options regarding the use of trained mediators in the resolution of disputes were discussed by the Service Personnel Executive Group on 19 January 2006. These are now subject to further discussion with the Equal Opportunities Commission and I will write to my hon. Friend when a course of action has been decided upon.

SevenCs

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the rules governing the commercial operations of his Department and its agencies; how his Department applied the rules to the acquisition of SevenCs by the UK Hydrographic Office; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: holding answer 31 January 2006
	Guidance covering the Ministry of Defence commercial policy and procedures is contained in the commercial toolkit (CmT) available through the acquisition management system at www.ams.mod.uk.
	In relation to the UK Hydrographic Office the rules governing its commercial operations are set out in the Government Trading Funds Act 1973, the Government Trading Act 1990 and the Hydrographic Trading Fund Order 1996. In addition to this UK legislation, German civil law also governed the acquisition of SevenCs by the UK Hydrographic Office. In acquiring SevenCs the UK Hydrographic Office ensured that it did so within the applicable rules.

Soldiers (Retirement)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has commissioned into the appropriate retirement age of soldiers.

Don Touhig: In August 2001 the Army Policy and Resources Committee authorised a review of the soldiers' career structures. The review, known as the Non Commissioned Engagement and Career Study, reported its findings in November 2002 and recommended the introduction of a more flexible and efficient career structure for soldiers, that would meet the operational and administrative needs of the Army and the individual in the 21st century while enabling better use of those soldiers who wish to serve beyond a 22-year engagement. As a first step in November 2004 the longer career model (LCM) was introduced for the staff and personnel support branch of the Adjutant General's Corps offering the possibility of three-five years extension of service beyond the 22-year point. The LCM is also available to other cap badges and several are now actively investigating the feasibility of longer service for their soldiers. Plans to offer even greater flexibility in length of service for soldiers are also under consideration.

Territorial Army

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Territorial Army were declared Fit For Role at the end of the last training year.

Don Touhig: The number of members of the Territorial Army that were declared Fit For Role at the end of the last training year is not currently held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost. I can confirm that as at 1 April 2005, 19,290 officers and soldiers were declared as trained. It is this which determines whether an member of the TA may be called up for deployment.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Territorial Army bounty is for (a) the first year, (b) the second year, (c) the third and fourth years and (d) five years and above; and how many bounties were claimed in respect of each band for 200405.

Don Touhig: The rates of Territorial Army bounty can be found in the following table.
	
		Rates of training bounty payable from April 2005-April 2006 -- 
		
			  1st year 2nd year 3rd/4th year 5th and subsequent years 
		
		
			 Group A (Higher Training obligations for officers and soldiers) 371.00 816.00 1,260.00 1,462.00 
			 Group A (Lower Training obligations for officers and soldiers)(20) n/a 450.00 698.00 816.00 
			 Group BOfficers, Officer Cadets and Soldiers in the Officer Training  Corps (OTC) 127.00 148.00 180.00 180.00 
		
	
	(20) In certain individual cases involving special business or domestic reasons, COs may permit trade qualified personnel of independent and specialist units to undertake the lower training liability.
	Note:
	Excludes non regular permanent staff officers and soldiers
	The number of TA bounties paid in 200405 can be found in the following table. It should be noted that these bounties paid were for qualification of bounty in the training year 200304.
	
		
			 Classification Recipients 
		
		
			 Year 1 2,098 
			 Year 3 2,288 
			 Year 5 14,585 
			 Not classified 2,96 
			 Total 21,167 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures include OTCs. 2. Those 'not classified' are personnel that do not fit into the standard categories.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) the establishment and (b) the strength is of each Territorial Army Infantry Battalion; and what the establishment is for the future Territorial Army Infantry Battalions under the Future Army Structure.

Don Touhig: The establishment and current strength of each Territorial Army Infantry Battalions is as shown as follows:
	
		
			   Current strength 
			 Unit Establishment Number Percentage 
		
		
			 The London Regiment 632 501 (79) 
			 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 324 395 (122) 
			 The Royal Irish Rangers 260 281 (110) 
			 The Rifle Volunteers 570 523 (92) 
			 The Royal Rifle Volunteers 475 471 (99) 
			 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 378 365 (97) 
			 The Royal Welsh Regiment 477 456 (96) 
			 The West Midlands Regiment 570 472 (83) 
			 The East and West Riding Regiment 539 518 (96) 
			 The Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers 442 424 (96) 
			 The Kings Cheshire Regiment 474 468 (99) 
			 The East of England Regiment 569 534 (94) 
			 The Tyne Tees Regiment 573 576 (101) 
			 51st Highland Regiment 657 605 (92) 
			 52nd Lowland Regiment 474 389 (82) 
		
	
	No decisions have yet been taken on the future establishment for the Territorial Army Infantry Battalions. An announcement will be made in due course.

Territorial Army

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) strength was of Territorial Army (i) staff, (ii) Royal Armoured Corps, (iii) Royal Artillery, (iv) Royal Engineers, (v) Royal Signals, (vi) infantry, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Army Chaplains Department, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Army Medical Corps, (xi) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (xii) Adjutant General's Corps, (xiii) Royal Army Veterinary Corps, (xiv) Small Arms School Corps, (xv) Royal Army Dentistry Corps, (xvi) Intelligence Corps, (xvii) Army Physical Training Corps, (xviii) general list, (ixx) Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps, (xx) Officer Training Corps and (xxi) unallocated staff in (A) 1997 and (B) 2005.

Don Touhig: At 1 April 1997 the establishment and strength of the Territorial Army was 59,000 and 56,200 respectively. At 1 April 2005 the establishment and strength of the Territorial Army was 41,610 and 36,180 respectively. Table A provides a breakdown for the Territorial Army strengths by Arm and Service. A breakdown of the establishment figures for 1997 is not available.
	
		Table A: Territorial Army Establishments and Strengths. 1997 and 2005
		
			  1 April 1997  1 April 2005 
			 Arm/Service Establishment Strength Of which: Mobilised Establishment Strength Of which: Mobilised 
		
		
			 Total 59,000 56,200 n/a 41,610 36,180 1,460 
			 Staff  70 n/a 0 90 0 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps  2,060 n/a 1,320 1,220 100 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery  3,100 n/a 3,030 2,210 150 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers  5,460 n/a 3,080 2,370 50 
			 Royal Corps of Signals  4,530 n/a 5,390 3,850 130 
			 Infantry  15,760 n/a 8,140 6,960 320 
			 Army Air Corps  140 n/a 160 110 0 
			 Royal Army Chaplains' Department  110 n/a 90 60 0 
			 Royal Logistics Corps  9,210 n/a 6,820 5,900 240 
			 Royal Army Medical Services  4,430 n/a 6,880 4,080 120 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers  3,460 n/a 1,640 2,240 70 
			 Adjutant General's Corps  2,370 n/a 460 1,260 40 
			 Small Arms School Corps  0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 Intelligence Corps  620 n/a 510 490 20 
			 Army Physical Training Corps  0 n/a 30 0 0 
			 General List  360 n/a 390 360 10 
			 Corps of Army Music  0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 Officers Training Corps  4,520 n/a 3,500 4,760 0 
			 Unallocated  0 n/a 160 200 200 
		
	
	n/a=Not available
	Notes:
	1. All data exclude NRPS.
	2. All data include trained and untrained.
	3. Standard Arm/Service titles used except Royal Army Medical Services.
	4. Royal Army Medical Services comprises of Royal Army Medical, Veterinary and Dental Corps and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.
	5. All strengths and 1 April 2005 Establishment data rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 1 April 1997 Establishment figure is rounded to the nearest 100.

Type 23 Frigate

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 506W, on Type 23 frigates, why HMS Richmond was not included in the information provided.

Adam Ingram: HMS Richmond has no allocated helicopters at present. The ship is currently undergoing a refit which is scheduled to be completed in June 2006. HMS Richmond will receive Merlin Mkl during sea trials following her refit.

HEALTH

Agency Staff (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of agency (a) nurses and (b) doctors has been in each year since 1997 in Coventry South.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Coventry teaching primary care trust (PCT) -- 000
		
			   Medical Nursing, midwifery and health visiting 
		
		
			 200203 504 0 
			 200304 771 0 
			 200405 359 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Financial Returns Coventry Teaching PCT 200203 to 200405.
	
		University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire National Health Service Trust -- 000
		
			   Medical Nursing, midwifery and health visiting 
		
		
			 199798 427 957 
			 199899 625 1,548 
			 19992000 415 2,288 
			 200001 634 2,986 
			 200102 888 3,144 
			 200203 3,870 3,001 
			 200304 5,478 1,715 
			 200405 4,348 479 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures given are for the Coventry Teaching PCT, and the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and relate to the cost of agency nurses, midwifery and health visiting, and doctors.
	2. Information for Coventry Teaching PCT is only available for 200203 to 200405.
	Source:
	Financial Returns University Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 199798 to 200405.

Dentistry

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children are not registered with an NHS dentist; and what assessment her Department has made of the merits of revising the provision of school based dental checks for children.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of children not registered with a national health service dentist is not collected centrally.
	As at 30 September 2005, the number of children registered with an NHS dentist with a general dental services or personal dental services contract in England was 6,927,299. This is estimated to be 59 per cent. of the total child population in England.
	The National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the arrangements for the screening of children's dental health.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the providers of each of the dental access centres in England.

Rosie Winterton: Dental access centres operate under personal dental services arrangements. Therefore, it is the local primary care trust (PCT) that is the provider. The following PCTs operate one or more of the 53 dental access centres in England.
	Ashford
	Barnet
	Bath and North East Somerset
	Bedford
	Bristol North
	Bristol South and West
	Bromley
	Bury
	Cambridge City
	Canterbury and Coastal
	Central Cheshire
	Central Liverpool
	Daventry and South Northamptonshire
	East Cambridgeshire and Fenland
	East Kent Coastal
	East Lincolnshire
	East Yorkshire
	Eastern Cheshire
	Enfield
	Exeter
	Guildford and Waverley
	Halton
	Herefordshire
	Huntingdonshire
	Kennet and North Wiltshire
	Leeds North West
	Mendip
	Milton Keynes
	Morecambe Bay
	Newcastle
	North East Oxfordshire
	Northampton
	Oxford City
	Plymouth
	Reading
	Rochdale
	Shropshire County
	Slough
	Somerset Coast
	South Somerset
	South Warwickshire
	South West Oxfordshire
	South Worcestershire
	Southampton City
	St. Helens
	Swindon
	Telford and Wrekin
	Walsall Teaching
	Warrington
	West Cumbria
	West Hull
	West Lincolnshire
	West Norfolk
	West Wiltshire
	Woking Area
	Yorkshire Wolds and Coast

Dentistry

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in Beverley and Holderness have left the NHS to work in private practice in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The table, provides the numbers of dentists who have left the general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) within Beverley and Holderness constituency in each year since 1997.
	However, information on whether dentists leave the national health service to work in private practice is not available.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS)number of dentists who have left the GDS or PDSin Beverley and Holderness constituency as at 30 Septembereach year
		
			  Complete leaver 
		
		
			 1997 0 
			 1998 0 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Complete leaver means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS dental practices and (b) NHS dentists there were in the Easington constituency in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS). Number of national health service dental practices and NHS dentists within Easington constituency as at 30 September each year.
		
			  GDS or PDS dental practices GDS or PDS dentists 
		
		
			 2001 9 14 
			 2002 9 14 
			 2003 9 13 
			 2004 9 12 
			 2005 9 17 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) location and (b) date of (i) opening and (ii) closing is of each dental school in England; and how many dental students there were at each in each of the last 30 years.

Rosie Winterton: There are currently nine dental schools in England. Information on the date of opening of the dental schools is not held centrally. University College London dental school was closed in 1992. The table shows the numbers of dental students admitted to the nine dental schools each year since 1993, the years for which figures are available.
	
		Dental school intake, 19932005 (England)
		
			  1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 University of Birmingham 69 73 74 69 68 71 
			 University of Bristol 65 64 44 57 55 50 
			 University of Leeds 52 54 52 53 52 51 
			 University of Liverpool 50 54 48 55 51 49 
			 Kings College London 157 156 154 149 167 142 
			 University of Manchester 59 74 65 114 55 60 
			 University of Newcastle 70 70 83 81 79 78 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 57 59 53 53 52 54 
			 University of Sheffield 51 60 54 54 53 48 
			 Total 630 664 627 685 632 603 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005(21) 
		
		
			 University of Birmingham 70 69 72 75 75 81 90 
			 University of Bristol 52 50 51 55 53 53 84 
			 University of Leeds 55 50 54 61 55 52 85 
			 University of Liverpool 49 45 49 52 63 60 90 
			 Kings College London 130 144 140 162 138 142 168 
			 University of Manchester 71 74 73 71 75 79 59 
			 University of Newcastle 63 72 68 70 71 80 98 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 57 63 61 55 75 58 90 
			 University of Sheffield 53 56 58 64 67 69 84 
			 Total 600 623 626 665 674 674 848 
		
	
	(21) provisional data

Dentistry

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people were registered with an NHS dentist in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, (c) South Somerset and (d) England in each year since 1995.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 November 2005
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS), Number of patients registered and percentage of people registered with an national health service dentist in England, local authorities in Somerset and Yeovil parliamentary constituency as at 30 September each year -- Number
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Registration data  
			 England 27,147,294 23,898,728 24,118,683 24,527,730 24,297,247 
			   
			 Bath and North East Somerset local authority 114,364 101,669 99,742 91,237 85,386 
			 North Somerset local authority 106,935 96,827 96,103 96,503 100,591 
			 South Somerset local authority 107,139 94,947 94,514 91,510 87,724 
			 West Somerset local authority 18,343 18,176 18,358 21,325 21,265 
			   
			 Yeovil parliamentary constituency 71,804 62,580 61,960 58,606 56,576 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Registration data: 
			 England 24,217,483 24,295,652 23,639,904 24,168,352 
			  
			 Bath and North East Somerset local authority 83,155 85,386 83,451 85,819 
			 North Somerset local authority 101,010 102,404 106,115 108,022 
			 South Somerset local authority 82,208 100,255 83,849 86,666 
			 West Somerset local authority 22,319 22,432 24,530 23,300 
			  
			 Yeovil parliamentary constituency 53,658 75,527 62,093 64,707 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Registrations per head of population  
			 England 56 49 49 50 49 
			   
			 Bath and North East Somerset local authority 69 61 60 54 50 
			 North Somerset local authority 58 52 51 51 53 
			 South Somerset local authority 72 64 63 61 58 
			 West Somerset local authority 55 54 53 61 61 
			   
			 Yeovil parliamentary constituency  
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Registrations per head of population 
			 England 49 49 47 48 
			  
			 Bath and North East Somerset local authority 49 50 48 50 
			 North Somerset local authority 53 53 55 56 
			 South Somerset local authority 54 65 54 56 
			 West Somerset local authority 63 63 69 65 
			  
			 Yeovil parliamentary constituency 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The drop in registrations between September 1997 and September 1998 is mostly attributable to the reduction in re-registration period from two years to fifteen months.
	2. Most PDS schemes that have registrations have a re-registration period in excess of fifteen months, so the figures for PDS schemes are generally higher than they would have been for the same attendance pattern under CDS.
	3. Prison registrations are included in these figures.
	4. Salaried dentist registrations are not included in these figures.
	5. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or agreed with the PCT.
	6. The Dental Practice Board has no information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists.
	7. The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the current boundaries.
	8. Areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory.
	9. Population data at constituency area are not available.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children in Hereford constituency are registered with an NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the proportion of children registered within the Herefordshire Primary Care Trust as at November 2005 was 70 per cent.
	Notes:
	1. The percentages of the population registered with a dentist (or registration rate) have been estimated by including patient registrations in the area of the dentist, that is, according to the postcode of the dental surgery and not the patient's address. So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live. 2. Estimates have been calculated using population estimates for the nearest year for which data are available. Percentages for 2005 have been calculated using 2004 mid year population estimates. 3. Information on children registered with a dentist at constituency level is not available as a percentage of the total number of children in the constituency. This is due to population data not being available at constituency level.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Drug Treatment Programmes

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average time a patient requiring (a) residential and (b) in-patient specialist drug treatment was on a waiting list for treatment in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The last period for which these figures are available is for the three months July to September 2005. The average waiting time for patients on a waiting list requiring residential drug treatment was 2.6 weeks, and 3.1 weeks for patients requiring in-patient specialist drug treatment.

Drug Treatment Programmes

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug treatment places for abuse of illegal drugs were available in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: We do not record the number of places. Drug treatment is measured by activity. In 200405, 160,450 were in treatmentan increase of 28 per cent. on the previous year.

Feltham Young Offenders Institute

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of prison health care provision was at Feltham Young Offenders Institute in the last three years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The funding allocation for health care provision for Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institute, Feltham was 4.5 million in 200304, 4.7 million in 200405 and 4.8 million in 200506.

HIV/AIDS (Hertfordshire)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1667W, on HIV/AIDS, what assessment she has made of HIV infection rates in Hertfordshire.

Caroline Flint: The data available on HIV infection is by strategic health authority (SHA) rather than county and relate to new diagnoses rather than infection rates.
	The most recent data available on HIV diagnoses in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at: www.hpa. org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/epidemiology/hars_tables.htm

Influenza Pandemic Planning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the Cabinet Committee on Influenza Pandemic Planning (MISC 32) has met since it was established.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply. 
	Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice and the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Mental Health

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what treatment and resources are provided to ex-servicemen suffering post combat mental heath illness who are also alcohol or drug dependent; and if she will make a statement.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 31 January 2006
	National health service services for post traumatic stress disorder and alcohol or drug dependence are freely available to all, including ex-service people. In addition, the Ministry of Defence funds a range of services provided by Combat Stress, specifically for this group.
	The NHS is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress to ensure that services work more closely together.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effects of the use of prone restraint in (a) mental health and (b) care institutions; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: While all restraint positions are potentially harmful, there is no empirical evidence which indicates that the prone position carries a greater risk of harm to patients than other restraint positions.
	Individual authorities are required by the Code of Practice of the Mental Health Act 1983 to have clear policies on the use of prone restraint and other forms of physical restraint. Physical restraint should take place only as a last resort, not routinely. Any restraint used should also be reasonable in the circumstance, apply the minimum force necessary to prevent harm to the patient or others, for only as long as is necessary and be sensitive to gender and race issues. This advice applies in all healthcare settings and to all age ranges. Trusts should regularly audit their physical restraint procedures to ensure these are consistent with the framework of clinical governance.
	The Department emphasises the recognition and prevention of aggression and violence wherever possible and published guidance in 2004, Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide: Developing Positive Practice to Support the Safe and Therapeutic Management of Aggression and Violence in Mental Health Inpatient Settings.
	We also commissioned guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which looked at the management of aggression and violence, including restraint. NICE published Disturbed (violent) behaviour: the short-term management of disturbed (violent) behaviour in in-patient psychiatric settings in February 2005.
	In September 2005, the National Health Service Security Management Service formally launched its training programme, Promoting safer and therapeutic services, following the successful piloting of this in a number of national health service trusts.
	The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) is also reviewing positive practice standards in relation to the safe and therapeutic management of aggression and violence. NIMHE, together with the National Patient Safety Agency, who are undertaking a project on preventing and managing violence, will publish guidance and a checklist early in 2006 to ensure that all restraint procedures meet rigorous standards. The project team is also developing proposals for the accreditation and regulation of physical intervention trainers.

MRSA

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA there have been at Essex Rivers health care in the past 12 months; and at which locations.

Rosie Winterton: The best available information is from the mandatory meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections surveillance which started in April 2001. This information is collected at trust level. The most recent data shows that there were 37 MRSA bacteraemia reports from April 2004 to March 2005 in Essex Rivers healthcare national health service trust.

Neuroblastoma

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in England were diagnosed as having neuroblastoma in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl dated 2 February 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many patients in England were diagnosed as having neuroblastoma in each of the last three years. I am replying in her absence. (47414)
	The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidence) are for the year 2003. Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of neuroblastoma registered in England between 2001 and 2003, are given in the table.
	
		Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of neuroblastoma(22) registered in England 200103
		
			  England 
		
		
			 2001 89 
			 2002 83 
			 2003 92 
		
	
	(22) Neuroblastoma is defined solely by morphology code, as codes 9500/3 and 9522/3 in the 'International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Second Edition' (ICD-O2).
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

New Hospital (St. Albans)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assurances her Department gave the former hon. Member for St. Albans of a new hospital being constructed by the West Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

Rosie Winterton: There have been no assurances given about the proposed new Hospital in Hatfield. However, in July 2004, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Health (John Reid), did approve Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority's strategic outline case, Investing in Your Health, which included the option of building a new hospital in Hatfield. A clear timetable was set out that would see East and North Hertfordshire National Health Service Trust completing and submitting a detailed outline business case for the new hospital by the end of 2006. Firm assurances can not be given because the final investment proposals are subject to confirmation as part of the business case process.

NHS Contracts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculations were made to estimate the cost of (a) the consultant contract, (b) agenda for change and (c) the new general medical services contract, as provided in her Department's public expenditure questionnaire 2005 for the Health Committee; and whether there have been cost overruns on each of these contracts.

Liam Byrne: The consultant contract was costed on a methodology agreed with the British Medical Association and on that basis the estimated cost of the contract, and the funding, was 133 million in 200304 rising to 250 million in 200506. In late 2004, we adjusted the tariff for 200506 by 150 million in response to suggestions from the service that this was the further cost pressure. However, our national survey, published in February 2005, indicated that the actual additional cost to the service was around 90 million.
	Agenda for change costs were estimated from experience in a number of early implementer sites to be consistent with the agreed funding envelope of 480 million in 200405 rising to 950 million in 200506.
	There are concerns based on monitoring in a number of sample sites that initial costs may have been higher than expected, and follow-up work is currently being carried out on the costs of implementation within each strategic health authority to test this. The agenda for change funding envelope is due to increase in 200607 and 200708 and it is too soon to conclude whether or not the overall envelope will be exceeded.
	For the general medical services contract, forecast spend based on available primary care trust data is shown in the table.
	
		Forecast spend against PCT allocated resources --  billion
		
			 Financial year Allocation Outturn Over 
		
		
			 200304 5.7 5.8 0.1 
			 200405(23) 6.8 6.9 0.1 
			 200506(23) 7.4 7.5 0.1 
		
	
	(23) Forecast outturn, that is still subject to finalised PCT accounts.

Optometry

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions her Department has had with optometrists concerning their payment system for NHS eye examinations; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 December 2005
	I met with representatives of optometrists and dispensing opticians on 27 October 2005. One of the issues raised was their concern that changes might be made to current arrangements for a nationally negotiated sight test fee, with sight tests funded from a national budget. I assured them that we did not envisage any changes to these arrangements.
	The fee for the national health service funded sight test is currently subject to a three-year agreement, which ends in March 2006. Negotiations on the sight test fee for 200607 are due to begin shortly.

Primary Care Trusts

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each of the Suffolk primary care trusts will receive in 200607 per head of population; and what the national average is expected to be.

Rosie Winterton: Revenue allocations per head of population to primary care trusts (PCTs) in Suffolk, as well as the England average, for 200607 are shown in the table.
	Allocations to PCTs are based on the population weighted for a number of factors. These factors include:
	age related needto recognise that people tend to have greater need as they grow older;
	additional needsto reflect difference in health need over and above that accounted for by age; and
	unavoidable difference in the cost of providing services.
	
		PCT allocations per head of population
		
			 PCT 200607 allocation (000) 2006 population 200607 allocation per head () 
		
		
			 Central Suffolk 106,743 100,398 1,063 
			 Ipswich 179,944 144,219 1,248 
			 Suffolk Coastal 115,682 99,209 1,166 
			 Suffolk West 256,665 244,287 1,051 
			 Waveney 160,058 126,465 1,266 
			 England 64,309,595 50,476,231 1,274

Prisons (Health Care)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has for the contracting-out of prison health care.

Rosie Winterton: We have no central plans for the contracting out of prison health care in the public prisons. From April 2006, primary care trusts will be responsible for commissioning health care services for prisons in their area. They will do this in conjunction with their prisons according to the needs of their population.

Prisons (Health Care)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts have been awarded to private sector companies for the provision of healthcare within HM Prison Service; and if she will list the (a) prisons and (b) companies concerned.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available centrally. It is for the primary care trusts, working in conjunction with the prisons in their area, to commission services based on the needs of their populations. Large contracts with private sector companies, for the provision of health care, are not the norm in the public sector prisons although Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institute, Feltham has recently entered into a contract with SERCO for the provision of primary health care services.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will investigate the series of complaints made against the Worcestershire Royal hospital concerning poor care in the hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 26 January 2006
	This is a matter for West Midlands South strategic health authority (SHA) which is responsible for ensuring that its primary care trusts commission services to meet the needs of the local populations and that those services are of an appropriate quality. The SHA is looking into the matter and will write to the hon. Member with its findings.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Brownfield Development (Hammersmith and Fulham)

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many hectares of brownfield land have been developed in Hammersmith and Fulham in each year since 1997; and how many new homes have been built in the course of those developments;
	(2)  what percentage of new housing development in Hammersmith and Fulham has been on brownfield land in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The available estimates are from land use change statistics, shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Previously-developed land developed for all uses (hectares) New dwellings on previously-developed land(24) (number) Proportion of new dwellings on previously-developed land(24) (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997 10 429 96 
			 1998 9 213 96 
			 1999 4 106 93 
			 2000 3 101 100 
			 2001 9 61 98 
			 2002 3 n/a 100 
		
	
	(24) Excludes dwellings from conversions and change of use.

Buncefield Oil Depot

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to suspend all new developments around (a) oil depots and (b) refineries until the inquiry into the Buncefield oil depot fire by the Health and Safety Executive has reported; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Decisions about development in the vicinity of oil depots and refineries are, in the first instance, matters for local planning authorities. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has established consultation zones around these sites. Within these zones, local planning authorities have to consult the Health and Safety Executive about proposed development so that it can advise them about the risk from the sites and their potential effects on nearby development.
	The Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency are currently investigating the causes of the incident at Buncefield. So far the investigation has not revealed any grounds to change the basis of HSE's existing advice to planning authorities. Until the causes of the incident are established it would be premature to comment.

Buncefield Oil Depot

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to stop the reduction in (a) full-time and (b) retained (i) fire stations and (ii) firefighters in Hertfordshire until the inquiry into the Buncefield oil depot fire by the Health and Safety Executive has reported; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Fire and Rescue Authorities are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. It is, therefore, for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority to determine appropriate fire cover and the level of service in its area. I am sure that the authority will wish to consider all issues associated with the Buncefield oil depot fire before reaching a final decision.
	It is not the role of Ministers to agree the operational proposals in an authority's plan; that is for elected members of the authority concerned. They are best placed to act on the professional advice of principal officers and to balance the competing local demands on available resources for the benefits of the communities they serve.

Fire Services

Peter Viggers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what factors relating specifically to fire control led the Government to decide that the south east regional government area is the most appropriate area to be controlled from a single fire control centre.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The report The Future of Fire and Rescue Control Rooms in England and Wales: Update 2003 by consultants Mott McDonald concluded that a regional approach is the optimal way of delivering fire and rescue control services. Government office for the regions boundaries have been chosen because they help maximise benefits and simplify issues such as funding, ownership and accountability. A further benefit is that the regional resilience teams, with whom the control centres will work, follow the same boundaries.

Fire Services

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures have been taken by his Department to incorporate the proposed housing expansion and development within the Buckingham constituency into the new Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority budget.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Local Government Finance Settlement for 200607 and 200708 that was laid before the House by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government on 31 January 2006 took account of projected population growth in each authority's area. This grant combined with council tax, specific grants and reserves determine the annual budget of an authority.
	However, the population projections do not take into account events that have not yet occurred, such as population change as a result of proposed housing expansion, as these are affected by future policy changes or local decisions. There is no additional specific grant available to fire and rescue authorities relating to housing expansion.

Gershon Efficiency Submissions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will deposit in the Library a copy of the Gershon efficiency submission from each (a) local, (b) police and (c) fire authority in England.

Phil Woolas: Annual Efficiency Statements from each local authority are already in the public domain on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l134484. The 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales publish information about their efficiency plans in their annual policing plans. All English fire and rescue authorities have provided Annual Efficiency Statements but the figures are provisional and currently subject to revision. These will also be published on the ODPM website in due course.

Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) council tenancies, (b) registered social landlord tenancies and (c) private landlord tenancies there were in (i) England, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Birmingham in each of the last 20 years.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not collected centrally on the number of tenancies although estimates for social tenancies can be made using stock figures. The number of private tenancies can only be estimated from housing surveys and is not available at local authority level.
	Stock figures by local authority district and region are published for the local authority sector for 1994 to 2005 and the registered social landlord sector for 1997 to 2005 on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website in tables 116 and 115 respectively. Figures are also given for England and for the Government Office Regions. The links for these tables are at:
	Table 116: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/22/Table116Excel127Kb_ id1156022.xls
	Table 115: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/21/Table115Excel96Kb_ id1156021.xls
	The number of private sector tenancies can be estimated from housing surveys and the estimates for West Midlands and England are tabled as follows. Due to the size of these surveys it is not possible to obtain reliable estimates at local authority level.
	
		
			  West Midlands England (thousand) 
		
		
			 1984(25) 138 1,920 
			 1988(25) 127 1,702 
			 1991(25) 142 1,824 
			 1992(26) 138 1,724 
			 1993(26) 140 1,833 
			 1994(26) 150 1,869 
			 1995(26) 172 1,939 
			 1996(26)(27) 167 1,995 
			 1997(26) 164 2,053 
			 1998(26) 159 2,063 
			 1999(26) 153 1,998 
			 2000(26) 157 2,017 
			 2001(26) 167 2,035 
			 2002(26) 164 2,112 
			 2003(26) 173 2,212 
			 2004(26) 185 2,226 
			 2005(26) 176 2,385 
		
	
	1 1984 to 1991: DOE Labour Force Survey Housing Trailer
	2 1992 to 2005: ONS Labour Force Survey 3 1996 figures adjusted because of change in methodology

Housing

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many hectares of (a) greenfield and (b) brownfield land have been developed in each London borough in each year since 1997; how many new homes have been built in each development; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of new housing development in each London borough has been on brownfield land in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The available estimates are from Land Use Change Statistics, shown in the following tables. Amounts of land changing to residential uses are shown up to 2003. Estimates of percentages of dwellings on previously-developed land are also shown for 2004 on a provisional basis. Numbers of new dwellings built on all individual developments could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Total numbers of dwellings built in each London borough are published in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Statistics.
	
		(a) Land changing to residential use from greenfield land: 19972003: London -- Hectares
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Total 19972003 
		
		
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1 5 2 1 0 1 1 10 
			 Barnet 3 0 1 0 2 2 1 8 
			 Bexley 8 5 0 0 1 8 0 22 
			 Brent 0 0 5 6 2 3 0 16 
			 Bromley 1 2 2 2 1 3 1 12 
			 Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Croydon 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Ealing 0 1 2 0 0 3 0 6 
			 Enfield 1 1 2 3 3 0 0 10 
			 Greenwich 2 5 1 2 4 1 0 15 
			 Hackney 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Haringey 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Harrow 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 
			 Havering 1 0 0 4 1 0 4 9 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 1 1 4 0 1 6 
			 Hounslow 0 2 2 0 1 3 0 8 
			 Islington 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 5 
			 Lambeth 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 
			 Lewisham 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Merton 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 
			 Newham 3 1 4 1 2 2 2 14 
			 Redbridge 1 0 1 6 1 0 0 9 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Southwark 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 
			 Sutton 0 1 2 6 1 0 0 10 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 7 
			 Waltham Forest 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 6 
			 Wandsworth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Westminster 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 London 39 33 28 38 25 28 13 206 
		
	
	Note:
	0 means less than 0.5 hectares
	
		(b) Land changing to residential use from brownfield land: 19972003: London -- Hectares
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Total 19972003 
		
		
			 City of London 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5 11 3 11 7 3 4 43 
			 Barnet 8 8 11 5 18 5 16 72 
			 Bexley 3 4 3 5 5 10 7 37 
			 Brent 4 5 4 5 5 4 10 36 
			 Bromley 10 6 12 12 18 21 13 93 
			 Camden 6 3 2 2 2 2 0 17 
			 Croydon 9 9 7 4 11 9 8 57 
			 Ealing 2 2 4 2 3 3 5 21 
			 Enfield 6 10 8 11 22 7 4 68 
			 Greenwich 6 12 12 11 21 11 15 88 
			 Hackney 11 6 4 6 5 5 10 46 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7 2 1 1 2 1 0 16 
			 Haringey 5 2 2 3 2 4 5 23 
			 Harrow 5 14 3 2 4 4 4 35 
			 Havering 3 4 1 5 11 4 2 31 
			 Hillingdon 11 8 19 10 5 3 4 59 
			 Hounslow 14 4 6 2 7 10 4 47 
			 Islington 6 3 3 3 2 5 3 25 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 7 
			 Kingston upon Thames 9 10 9 6 6 2 2 43 
			 Lambeth 5 7 5 11 6 6 1 42 
			 Lewisham 10 3 4 8 5 4 6 40 
			 Merton 6 5 3 2 2 7 1 27 
			 Newham 11 7 5 9 2 8 7 50 
			 Redbridge 7 5 7 8 8 10 4 50 
			 Richmond upon Thames 15 5 5 8 3 6 3 46 
			 Southwark 17 12 4 9 7 9 12 70 
			 Sutton 8 7 3 8 4 12 10 52 
			 Tower Hamlets 16 16 14 10 12 4 11 84 
			 Waltham Forest 17 13 1 5 1 1 8 47 
			 Wandsworth 9 15 7 6 1 2 2 41 
			 Westminster 8 7 2 6 4 5 2 34 
			 London 261 225 177 201 212 185 187 1,447 
		
	
	Note:
	0 means less than 0.5 hectares
	
		Percentage of dwellings built on previously-developed land(25): 19972004 London -- Percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Average 19972004 
		
		
			 City of London 100 100 100 100 100100 
			 Barking and Dagenham 92 68 62 93 96 71 86 92 81 
			 Barnet 70 100 95 100 92 76 94 100 90 
			 Bexley 30 43 100 100 84 54 97 100 63 
			 Brent 95 100 47 45 73 55 100 100 71 
			 Bromley 94 80 84 86 93 88 94 94 89 
			 Camden 98 100 100 100 85 100 81 100 97 
			 Croydon 70 74 97 92 97 97 99 83 87 
			 Ealing 91 79 68 94 100 48 100 36 73 
			 Enfield 82 95 82 81 88 97 95 100 88 
			 Greenwich 75 69 92 86 85 92 99 95 86 
			 Hackney 92 100 70 100 100 96 100 100 94 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 96 96 87 100 96 100 80 100 95 
			 Haringey 100 95 100 83 100 100 100 100 97 
			 Harrow 100 99 100 100 86 92 86 100 95 
			 Havering 77 94 85 56 96 100 40 100 81 
			 Hillingdon 98 100 95 95 56 100 89 100 91 
			 Hounslow 97 66 78 98 91 76 92 100 86 
			 Islington 90 . 97 97 97 83 100 100 100 95 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 100 93 100 93 100 62 100 100 90 
			 Kingston upon Thames 97 76 100 98 90 100 80 100 90 
			 Lambeth 54 100 100 99 95 100 69 100 89 
			 Lewis ham 85 100 95 100 100 95 96 99 94 
			 Merton 97 100 68 57 100 100 100 100 91 
			 Newham 76 94 56 91 45 82 83 100 78 
			 Redbridge 88 92 92 58 86 99 100 94 85 
			 Richmond upon Thames 99 90 91 97 99 97 99 88 96 
			 Southwark 93 98 100 100 100 100 89 99 96 
			 Sutton 99 83 62 59 89 100 100 100 85 
			 Tower Hamlets 81 92 97 100 97 88 100 100 93 
			 Waltham Forest 100 96 100 55 100 86 95 62 89 
			 Wandsworth 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Westminster 100 92 100 100 100 100 100 100 98 
			 London 87 87 86 84 89 87 93 94 88 
		
	
	(25) Excluding conversions

Industrial Development (East Midlands)

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what are the biggest three industrial development sites available in the East Midlands.

Yvette Cooper: Many sites allocated for industrial use within the region are subject to planning permission being issued and/or the provision of major infrastructural improvements before becoming readily available. With this proviso, the three largest sites in the region are all in Derbyshire, at Markham Vale (Chesterfield), Stanton Works (Erewash) and Castlewood (Pinxton/South Normanton).

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister values the diversity of its staff and promotes awareness of religious festivals and events. The equality and diversity unit provide information on the ODPM intranet about six major faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. This includes information about the major festivals which is regularly reviewed and updated. The equality and diversity unit make available to staff a number of SHAP calendars of religious festivals every year and the ODPM has organised a programme of seminars which have included seminars on faith communities.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether it is his Department's policy that a business premises partly used as a domestic residence for individuals should be liable for council tax;
	(2)  whether it is his Department's policy that a domestic residence part used for business purposes by the occupiers should be liable for business rates.

Phil Woolas: Primary legislation provides that a property used partly for non-domestic purposes and partly for domestic purposes shall be liable for business rates and council tax. Legislation also ensures that only the non-domestic and the domestic elements of the property are valued for business rates and council tax respectively.

London Resilience Strategic Emergency Plan

James Brokenshire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether Rainham in the London borough of Havering has been identified as one of the (a) primary and (b) back-up (i) landfill and (ii) bulk debris examination sites referred to in the London Resilience Strategic Emergency Plan.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A contingency plan exists for the clearance, removal and disposal of debris post catastrophic incident in London. A landfill site located in Rainham has been identified as one of the primary landfill and bulk debris examination sites referred to in the London Resilience Strategic Emergency Plan.
	This plan is due to be reviewed and updated to reflect new national guidance on the development of a site clearance capability in England and Wales, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in October 2005. As part of this work landfill sites identified in the London plan will be reviewed for their continuing suitability.

MORI Poll

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of the MORI poll was in respect of (a) perceptions of the effectiveness of his Department held by board members and unit heads within the Department and (b) perceptions of the effectiveness of his Department held by external stakeholders of the Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2190W.

Overcrowding (London)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of the number of households in London living in overcrowded housing conditions.

Yvette Cooper: The number of households in London that do not meet the bedroom standard over the three-year period 200203, 200304 and 200405 was 194,000.
	Information on compliance with the statutory overcrowding standard is not collected systematically and reliable estimates for London on this basis are not available. However, in the autumn of 2001, it was estimated that 25,000 households across the whole of England were living in conditions that breached these standards. This was based on data from the Survey of English Housing for the period 199798 to 19992000 and from the 1996 English House Condition Survey.

RNIB Talking Books

Michael Wills: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of local authorities meet the costs of the Royal National Institute of the Blind talking books for users scheme.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not hold this information centrally; however, according to the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), 131 English local authorities subscribe to the RNIB talking books scheme.

Sex Offenders Register

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether his Department has responsibilities in relation to the vetting of registered sex offenders in relation to employment in local authorities;
	(2)  what advice the Government have issued to local authorities on the employment of staff on the sex offenders register whose work involves contact with the public.

Phil Woolas: Local authorities are independent bodies responsible to their electorates who work within the framework of law as laid down by Parliament.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the property-based taxes in which the Valuation Office Agency has an involvement other than council tax, business rates, inheritance tax and capital gains tax.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency will provide valuations and advice to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, through its District Valuer Services business stream, where requested, for Corporation Tax, Income Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and VAT.

TREASURY

Breast Cancer

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data sources are used by his Department to estimate the number of cases of breast cancer each year; and what the latest estimate is of the number of such cases.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 2 February 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question concerning what data sources are used by his department to estimate the number of cases of breast cancer each year; and what the latest estimate is of the number of such cases. I am replying in her absence. (47988)
	Information on newly diagnosed cases of cancer is collected and registered by the nine regional cancer registries in England. Extracts from the registration information are then submitted to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Annual figures for the incidence of cancer in England (based on newly diagnosed cases) are published by ONS in the series 'MB1, Cancer statistics registrations', which is available on the National Statistics website:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk= 8843Pos=ColRank=1Rank=224
	The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer is for the year 2003. There were 36,509 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in females and 295 in males in England in 2003 (code C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision).

Child Trust Funds

Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) research and (b) analysis his Department has conducted relating to the income level of eligible families who do not open child trust fund accounts; and if he will place the results in the Library.

Ivan Lewis: A statistical and distributional analysis of the child trust fund will be published in 2007 and placed in the Library.

Construction Industry Scheme

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) small, (b) medium and (c) large contractors were contacted by his Department during consultations on the forthcoming reforms to the Construction Industry Scheme.

John Healey: The information in the form sought is not available. However, as part of the consultation exercise starting in November 2002, over 20 meetings were held nationwide with industry representatives. We distributed over 1,000 hard copies of the consultation document. Our website containing an electronic version of the document received more than 3,000 hits. Over 200 individuals and businesses responded.
	At a national level, ongoing formal consultation has taken place through the Construction Industry Reform Implementation Panel (CIRIP), which meets monthly under a HMRC chair. CIRIP represents a wide cross-section of trade professional and software house interests.

Construction Industry Scheme

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent since the introduction of the Construction Industry Scheme in 1999 on (a) informing the construction industry about the correct determination of employment status and (b) enforcing compliance on employment status.

John Healey: No specific data is held on the cost to HM Revenue and Customs (and the former Inland Revenue) since 1999 of informing the construction industry about the correct determination of employment status.
	HM Revenue and Customs police employment status as part of their general employer compliance activity. They do not routinely collect data in respect of the policing of specific types of employer obligations. It is therefore not possible to identify the amount spent on enforcing compliance with employment status.

Construction Industry Scheme

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many workers from (a) Great Britain and (b) the European economic area have registered for the Construction Industry Scheme in each year since 1999;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of individuals from European economic area countries who are registered under the Construction Industry Scheme are also registered for national insurance.

John Healey: In 200405 there were around 900,000 active subcontractors registered for the Construction Industry Scheme. No records are kept of the country of origin of subcontractors registered for the Construction Industry Scheme.

Contractors

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many contractors identified under the leverage exercise by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs came under investigation in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005; and how many he expects to come under investigation in 2006.

John Healey: The CIS leverage exercise was undertaken on a two-year basis for 200405 and 200506. The number of cases selected for review were 2,192 in 200405 and 2,280 in 200506. Some cases selected for review, particularly those commenced in late 200506, will not be concluded until 200607.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1681W, on council tax, following the postponement of the council tax revaluation in England, if he will place in the Library the remaining written advice.

Dawn Primarolo: There is nothing I can usefully add to my earlier answer. For reasons I gave then, it would not be appropriate to disclose the advice concerned.

Departmental Expenditure

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Government spending in each year since 1997 was allocated to (a) Her Majesty's Court Service, (b) predecessor judicial institutions and (c) magistrates courts.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The information can be found in the following table.
	
		Analysis of judicial spend for David Taylor PQ January 2006 -- All figures shown in  million
		
			  Year ending March 
			  199697 Actuals 199798 Actuals 199899 Actuals 19992000 Actuals 200001 Actuals 200102 Actuals 200203 Actuals 200304 Actuals 200405 Actuals 200506 Budget 
		
		
			 Total Government spending, (total managed expenditure) 315,963 322,735 332,689 340,852 364,082 387,605 417,970 455,233 484,105 518,600 
			   
			 (a) Her Majesty's Court Service n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 993 
			 Percentage of TME n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.19 
			
			 (b) Predecessor Judicial institutions: Court Service 225 174 260 135 339 425 509 503 481 n/a 
			 Percentage of TME 0.07 0.05 0.08 0.04 0.09 0.11 0.12 0.11 0.10 n/a 
			
			 (c) Magistrates Courts 287 274 344 267 307 350 319 315 336 n/a 
			 Percentage of TME 0.09 0.08 0.10 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.07 n/a 
		
	
	1. 200506 was the first year of operation of the HMCS inclusive of the magistrates courts. The figure shown here represents the latest delegated budget position.
	2. Prior to 200506, DCA allocated funds to local authorities to cover only 80 per cent. of the funding of the Magistrates Courts Committees. The balance of funding came from the LA themselves and this figure is not reported above.
	3. Unification changes funded in 200506 relating to harmonising of the magistrates courts into the central Government accounting framework. The key changes to the magistrates costs included 20 per cent. balance of funding from ODPM (87 million), capital charges introduced with the new resource accounting methodology applied to the magistrates element (73 million) and in addition there were also some DCA HQ departments transferred across into HMCS (24 million).
	4. Figures are shown in terms of net costs, i.e. after netting off any income from fees and fines. Capital spend is included within both comparators and depreciation is subtracted from the combined figures, with the exception of the magistrates courts which did not charge depreciation on the assets before 200506. Note that estimated depreciation figures have been used.
	5. The 200405 figures represent latest estimated provisional outturn and are subject to change.
	6. Figures for 199697,199798 and 199899 have been drawn from previous years DCA departmental reports, which did not report on a Resourcing Accounting and Budgeting Stage 2 basis. Therefore we have attempted to put these figures.

Earnings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the (a) average and (b) median (i) hourly and (ii) weekly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime were for (1) male, (2) female and (3) all (x) employees, (y) full-time employees and (z) part-time employees aged (aa) 16 to 17 years, (bb) 18 to 21 years, (cc) 22 to 29 years, (dd) 30 to 39 years, (ee) 40 to 49 years and (ff) over 50 years in (I) Scotland and (II) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the (a) average and (b) median (i) weekly and (ii) hourly gross earnings were (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of (1) male, (2) female and (3) all employees (aa) working in the private sector, (bb) working in the public sector and (cc) not classified in (I) Scotland and (II) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland was in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply. His responses will be placed in the Library.

Economic Activity (South-West)

Michael Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase the rate of economic activity in (a) Swindon, (b) Wiltshire and (c) the south-west.

John Healey: The Government has put in place policies that will raise the trend rate of growth for all English regions and local areas, including Swindon, Wiltshire and the south-west.
	GVA statistics show that between 1989, when comparable regional records began to 2004, the south-west region enjoyed the highest average annual GVA growth of all the English regions bar the south-east. It is also experiencing employment levels close to record highs, after increasing by 184,000 since 1997. The employment rate in Swindon of 80.1 per cent. and Wiltshire of 80.5 per cent., are well above the national average of 74.3 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./

Financial Protection Products

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to examine whether the sale of financial protection products through non-advised channels is compatible with the regulatory requirement to treat customers fairly.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for the regulatory requirement for financial services firms to treat their customers fairly. The FSA is operationally independent of the Government. I will ask the FSA's chairman, Sir Callum McCarthy, to write to the hon. Member.

Fuel Prices

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the European Union's concession to France on fuel prices in rural areas; and if he will reduce fuel prices in the islands of Scotland by three per cent. until 2011.

John Healey: The French Government made a recent decision to allow their regional councils to introduce reduced rates of duty for road fuel consumed within their territories.
	This decision required the prior approval of the Council of Ministers and the Commission to allow a derogation from the Energy Products Directive permitting this measure. We assessed the French Government's application when they made their application for derogation to the Commission last year.
	The UK Government believe that taxation policy is a matter for individual member states. Within the UK, however, we believe that allowing variations from the national fuel duty rate for one region or another would represent a departure from the principle of uniform duty rates across the UK. It would also conflict with our environmental objectives and create potential for fraud.

Gold Reserves

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the sale proceeds were of gold reserves sold in the last five years; and what the current equivalent value is.

Ivan Lewis: 395 tonnes of gold were sold from the reserves between July 1999 and March 2002. The proceeds in dollars, and further details, can be found on page 27 of Review of the sale of part of the UK gold reserves published by the Treasury in October 2002 (http://www.hm-treasury/.gov.uk/media//9EFEF/Gold Reserves.PDF).
	At closing market prices on 30 January 2006, the total value of this gold would be approximately 4,082 million.
	The programme was part of a prudent restructuring of the foreign currency and gold reserves aimed at achieving a better-balanced portfolio. As a result of the programme a one-off reduction in risk of approximately 30 per cent. was achieved (as measured by value-at-risk).
	The proceeds from the sales were reinvested in interest bearing foreign currency assets in broadly the same proportions as the foreign currency assets held in the net reserves (40 per cent. dollars; 40 per cent. euros; and 20 per cent. yen) and these have earned returns over this period.
	It is inappropriate to measure gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in market values over a short-term period.

HM Revenue and Customs Estate

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer of 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 1505, on HM Revenue and Customs Estate, how many companies competed for the contract which was won by Mapeley in 2001 regarding properties included in his Department's estate.

Dawn Primarolo: The competition for the contract that was eventually awarded to Mapeley comprised three stages.
	1. A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire for which 10 submissions were received
	2. An Invitation to Submit an Outline Proposal that involved five consortia.
	3. An Invitation to Negotiate that was issued to three consortia.
	The NAO looked at the STEPS contract and published a report on 7 May 2004.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 523W, on home information packs, 
	(1)  what assessment (a) HM Treasury and (b) HM Revenue and Customs have made of the revenue to be generated from levying VAT on home information packs;
	(2)  whether VAT will be levied on home information packs.

Dawn Primarolo: The exact nature of the packs, and how they will be provided, is still under consideration by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, following a consultation on draft regulations which ended on 30 December 2005.

Population Estimates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the net change to the (a) number of households and (b) population size in each government office region in each of the next 20 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 2 February 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning the projected change in households and population over the next 20 years. I am replying in her absence. (47878)
	Household projections are the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The 2002-based interim household projections are the latest available set and these are being updated to take into account more recent information on household formation and the 2003 based subnational population projections. Table 1 shows average annual household growth for the Government Office Regions in England between 2001 and 2021.
	Table 2 shows the projected net population change for the Government Office Regions in England.
	The population projections are demographic trend-based projections that indicate what the population levels of an area are likely to be if recently observed trends in fertility, mortality and migration were to continue. They take no account of future development which may affect trends.
	Like subnational population projections, household projections are trend based and illustrate what would happen if past trends in household formation were to continue into the future. The projections are heavily dependent on demographic assumptions used. These projections are not policy based forecasts of what the government expects or intends to happen.
	
		Table 1: Projected net household growth for Government office regions in England 2002-based interim household projections -- Thousand
		
			  Additional households per year 200121 
		
		
			 North East 3.0 
			 North West 15.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 12.8 
			 East Midlands 15.9 
			 West Midlands 14.4 
			 East 24.6 
			 London 46.4 
			 South East 33.9 
			 South West 22.6 
			 England 188.6 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM's 2002 Based Interim Household Projections
	
		Table 2: Net population change for Government office regions in England 2003-based subnational population projections -- Thousand
		
			  North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands East London South East South West 
		
		
			 2006 -3.0 9.7 13.9 22.7 12.2 36.7 45.1 44.4 33.0 
			 2007 -2.3 10.9 14.3 22.8 13.0 36.8 46.1 44.9 33.3 
			 2008 -2.2 11.0 14.3 22.5 13.0 36.7 46.6 44.5 32.9 
			 2009 -2.1 11.3 14.5 22.5 13.3 36.8 47.4 44.5 32.8 
			 2010 -1.8 11.9 14.9 22.5 13.8 37.0 48.3 44.9 32.9 
			 2011 -1.6 12.5 15.1 22.5 14.3 37.4 49.0 45.4 33.0 
			 2012 -1.6 13.0 15.3 22.6 14.7 37.8 49.6 46.0 33.1 
			 2013 -1.5 13.6 15.4 22.7 15.1 38.0 50.1 46.3 33.2 
			 2014 -1.4 14.0 15.6 22.8 15.5 38.2 50.2 46.8 33.5 
			 2015 -1.2 14.4 15.9 23.0 15.8 38.4 50.1 47.3 33.8 
			 2016 -1.2 14.8 16.2 23.2 16.1 38.5 49.6 47.7 34.0 
			 2017 -1.1 15.1 16.3 23.3 16.2 38.5 49.1 48.0 34.2 
			 2018 -1.2 15.0 16.3 23.2 16.2 38.5 48.5 48.3 34.3 
			 2019 -1.3 14.9 16.1 23.0 16.1 38.4 47.6 48.5 34.4 
			 2020 -1.5 14.5 15.8 22.8 16.0 38.3 46.6 48.5 34.4 
			 2021 -1.6 14.0 15.6 22.5 15.6 37.7 45.2 48.2 34.1 
			 2022 -1.7 13.6 15.5 22.3 15.3 37.0 43.7 47.7 33.9 
			 2023 -1.7 12.8 15.3 21.9 14.8 36.1 42.3 46.8 33.4 
			 2024 -1.9 12.1 14.9 21.2 14.1 35.3 40.8 45.9 32.8 
			 2025 -2.2 11.2 14.1 20.5 13.5 34.5 39.5 44.8 32.1 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Regulatory Reform Orders

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many regulatory reform orders his Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years.

John Healey: HM Treasury has laid one regulatory reform order before Parliament since their introduction in 2001. This was the Credits Union Order in 2003. Further information on this can be viewed at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/regulatory_reform/orders_made/2003/credun.asp

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the letter from the hon. Member for St. Albans of 14 October and the answer of 13 October 2005, Official Report, column 428, on tax credits, what steps he is taking to expedite the repayment of the overpayment relating to the constituents of the hon. Member, Mr. and Mrs. Keys; if he will send to the hon. Member his Department's calculations used in the assessment of the case; and if he will investigate the case further.

Dawn Primarolo: I have further examined this case, and have written to the hon. Member to explain the calculations used.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures are in place to ensure that the risk of companies fraudulently claiming research and development tax credits is minimised; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs manages non-compliance through a process of risk assessment and deploys resources according to the risks identified.
	'Supporting growth in innovation: next steps for the RD tax credit', published in December 2005, announced that HMRC will set up specialist R and D units. These units will develop specialised expertise to ensure more consistent handling of claims, together with an effective focus on non-compliance.

Tax Investigations

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing the information sought; what information he would need to collect to be able to answer the question at a proportionate cost; how many officials within (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs spent some or all of their working day on tax investigations in 200405; and what estimate he has made of public expenditure on tax investigations for that year.

Dawn Primarolo: In 200405 resourcing data within the Inland Revenue (now HMRC) was kept by reference to the operational directorates dealing with a mix of processing, customer support, compliance and corporate support work. To calculate the figures requested for investigation work it would be necessary to:
	identify all the investigation functions within each of the operational directorates,
	ascertain or estimate the time spent by staff on those investigation functions, and
	estimate the costs and full-time equivalent figures.
	Reconstructing the figures required for the historical period in the original question would have taken a considerable amount of research and analysis of disparate and, in the earlier years, paper based records.
	Our best estimate of staff employed on all Inland Revenue investigation work in 200405 is 14,800 at a cost of 424 million, this will include tax investigations.

Tourism (Wales)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in the tourism sector in Wales since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 2 February 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about tourism-related jobs in Wales. I am replying in her absence. (47650)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes, in numbers of jobs, from year to year.
	The attached table shows the number of employee jobs in tourism-related industries in Wales for each year from 1997 to 2004, the latest year for which information is available. This total is obtained by combining figures for employee jobs in the following industries, as identified by Standard Industrial Classification 2003:
	Hotels and other tourist accommodation
	Restaurants, bars and canteens
	Transport
	Travel agencies/tour operators
	Recreation services.
	These estimates are from the Annual Business Inquiry and, as with any sample survey, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		Change in employee jobs in tourism-related industries; Wales, 1997 to 2004
		
			  Employee jobs Change year-on-year(26) 
		
		
			 1997 109,000  
			 1998 109,000 -1,000 
			 1999 121,000 12,000 
			 2000 114,000 -7,000 
			 2001 122,000 8,000 
			 2002 119,000 -4,000 
			 2003 124,000 6,000 
			 2004 133,000 8,000 
		
	
	(26) Annual change is calculated using unrounded data.
	Source:
	ABI (19982004) and rescaled AES (1997).

UK Financial Regulation

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much central funding was spent on UK financial regulation in each year since 1995.

Ivan Lewis: The following table shows Government expenditure on the Registry of Friendly Societies and on insurance supervision from 1995 to 31 November 2001. Other forms of UK financial regulation were not funded by the Government over this period. After 31 November 2001 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) assumed full responsibility for UK financial regulation. The FSA is funded via an industry levy and not by the Government.
	
		Central funding spent on UK financial regulation --  million
		
			  Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS) (including the Building Societies Commission (BSC) and Friendly Societies Commission (FSC)) Insurance supervision 
		
		
			 199596 (27)3 (28)6 
			 199697 (27)2 (29)5 
			 199798 (27)3 (29)6 
			 199899 (27)1 (30)6 
			 19992000 (31)2 (30)13 
			 200001 (31)3 (30)15 
			 200102 (31)3 (30)15 
		
	
	(27) Government expenditure plans 200001 to 200102 CM 4615
	(28) Government expenditure plans 199799 lo 19992000 Cm 3605
	(29) DTI expenditure plans 199899 CM 3905
	(30) Expenditure plans 200001 to 200304 CM 5116
	(31) Expenditure plans 200102 t o 200304 CM5116

Unpaid Pay-as-you-earn Tax

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been collected by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in unpaid pay-as-you-earn tax since the leverage exercise began in 2004.

John Healey: It is not possible to say how much pay-as-you-earn tax has been collected by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs since the leverage exercise began. Of the cases selected for review under the exercise, many remain under inquiry and are not expected to be concluded until later this year and in some cases beyond.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the staff manual for the Valuation Office Agency.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency's staff handbook The Guide has been placed in the Library of the House.

VAT

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2808W, on VAT, what the total cost to his Department of the VAT reduction on the specified schemes was in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not collect data on the revenue cost of this VAT reduction.

VAT

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT fraud has been reported in each region of the UK in descending order in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: A regional breakdown of VAT fraud is not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued by courts in (a) Merseyside and (b) Wirral in each quarter since the penalty was introduced; and what percentage of these were issued where the claimant was aged (a) 10 to 14, (b) 15 to 19, (c) 20 to 24, (d) 25 to 29 and (e) 30 years and over.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following tables.
	
		Table A: The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts, as notified to the Home Office, where prohibitions are imposed within the criminal justice system area of .Merseyside(32), by age and period, from 1 July 2000(33)(34) up to 30 June 2005 (latest available)
		
			  Age 
			  Total all ages and unknown Not known 10 to 14 15 to 19 
			 Period Number Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2000
			 July-September
			 October-December 3 2 66 
			 Sub-total 3 2 66 
			 2001
			 January-March 2 1 50 
			 April-June 4   1 25 1 25 
			 July-September _   
			 October-December 1 1 100 
			 Sub-total 7   1 14 3 43 
			 2002
			 January-March 3   2 66 1 33 
			 April-June 6 5 83 
			 July-September 4 3 75 
			 October-December 9   4 44 5 56 
			 Sub-total 22   6 27 14 64 
			 2003
			 January-March 6 4 66 
			 April-June 6   2 33 4 66 
			 July-September 15   1 7 8 53 
			 October-December 12   3 25 6 50 
			 Sub-total 39   6 15 22 56 
			 2004
			 January-March 19   30 16 10 53 
			 April-June 11   5 45 4 36 
			 July-September 9 1 11 1 11 6 66 
			 October-December 14 10 71 
			 Sub-total 53 1 2 9 17 30 57 
			 2005
			 January-March 22   5 23 9 41 
			 April-June 15   3 20 3 20 
			 Sub-total 37   8 22 12 32 
			 Total 161 1 1 30 19 83 52 
		
	
	
		
			  20 to 24 25 to 29 30 years and over 
			 Period Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2000   
			 July-September   
			 October-December 1 33 
			 Sub-total 1 33 
			 2001   
			 January-March   1 50   
			 April-June 2 50 
			 July-September   
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total   1 14 2 29 
			 2002   
			 January-March   
			 April-June 1 17 
			 July-September 1 25 
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total 2 9 
			 2003   
			 January-March 1 17   1 17 
			 April-June   
			 July-September 3 20   3 20 
			 October-December   1 8 2 17 
			 Sub-total 4 10 1 3 6 15 
			 2004   
			 January-March   2 11 4 21 
			 April-June 2 18 
			 July-September 1 11 
			 October-December   1 7 3 21 
			 Sub-total   3 6 10 19 
			 2005   
			 January-March 1 5 1 5 6 27 
			 April-June 1 7 4 27 4 27 
			 Sub-total 2 5 5 14 10 27 
			 Total 7 4 10 6 30 19 
		
	
	(32) Includes figures for Wirral, as given in table B.
	(33) From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area. During this period eight orders were reported issued within the criminal justice system area of Merseyside.
	(34) For the month of June 2000 no orders were reported as issued within the criminal justice system area of Merseyside.
	
		Table B: The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts, as notified to the Home Office, where prohibitions are imposed within the local government authority area of the Metropolitan borough of Wirral by age and period, from 1 July 2000(35)(36) up to 30 June 2005 (latest available)
		
			  Age 
			  Total all ages and unknown Not known 10 to 14 15 to 19 
			 Period  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2000
			 July-September
			 October-December
			 Sub-total
			 2001
			 January-March 1   
			 April-June 2   
			 July-September
			 October-December
			 Sub-total 3   
			 2002
			 January-March
			 April-June
			 July-September
			 October-December
			 Sub-total
			 2003
			 January-March 3 2 66 
			 April-June
			 July-September 1   
			 October-December
			 Sub-total 4 2 50 
			 2004
			 January-March 1   
			 April-June
			 July-September 3 1 33   2 66 
			 October-December 1 1 100 
			 Sub-total 5 1 20   3 60 
			 2005
			 January-March 5 2 40 
			 April-June 3   
			 Sub-total 8 2 25 
			 Total 20 1 5   7 35 
		
	
	
		
			  20 to 24 25 to 29 30 years and over 
			 Period Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2000   
			 July-September   
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total   
			 2001   
			 January-March   1 100   
			 April-June 2 100 
			 July-September   
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total   1 33 2 66 
			 2002   
			 January-March   
			 April-June   
			 July-September   
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total   
			 2003   
			 January-March 1 33 
			 April-June   
			 July-September 1 100 
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total 2 50 
			 2004   
			 January-March   1 100   
			 April-June   
			 July-September   
			 October-December   
			 Sub-total   1 20   
			 2005   
			 January-March 1 20   2 40 
			 April-June   3 100   
			 Sub-total 1 12 3 38 2 25 
			 Total 1 5 5 25 6 30 
		
	
	(35) From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area. During this period eight orders were reported issued within the criminal justice system area of Merseyside.
	(36) For the month of June 2000 no orders were reported as issued wherein prohibitions are imposed within the local government authority area of the Metropolitan borough of Wirral.

Arnhem Support Centre

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time was for the Arnhem Support Centre to clear entry visa applications under the new system from the receipt of the documentation from the embassy of origin in the last period for which figures are available; and what the average time was in the last period of the old system.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Information from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) indicates that an immigration appeal, comprising both in-country and entry clearance cases, lodged between April 2004 and the end of March 2005 took an average of 54 weeks to be decided by an immigration adjudicator following the appeal being lodged with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home Office, either directly by the appellant or having being forwarded to IND from the entry clearance post.
	Provisional information for entry clearance appeals lodged after 4 April 2005, up to September 2005 only currently covers a low volume of appeals. It is therefore difficult to provide an accurately indicative figure for the average waiting times from appeal lodgement to a decision by an immigration judge for appeals lodged in this period. Accounting for the times allowed for the respondent to prepare the appeal bundle in entry clearance cases, it is expected that appeals are decided by an immigration judge approximately 27 or 35 weeks from the date of lodgement, dependent on the type of case. This includes time allowed for international transit of documents to and from the tribunal.
	The entry clearance appeals decided prior to the commencement of the AIT were lodged with the original decision maker in accordance with the procedure rules of the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA), the appellate body subsequently replaced by the AIT. Once lodged the appeals were transferred to the IND for preparation before being forwarded to the IAA to be decided by an immigration adjudicator.
	With the commencement of the AIT entry clearance appeals can be lodged either directly to the AIT or with the relevant entry clearance post. Where an appeal is lodged with the relevant entry clearance post it must be endorsed and forwarded to the AIT as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within 10 days.

ASBOs

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people have been taken to court for breach of antisocial behaviour orders in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The information held centrally, on the Home Office court proceedings database, only covers breach proceedings where there has been a conviction. antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. During 2003, 305 persons aged 1017 breached their ASBO on one or more occasions.

Community Safety Partnerships

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are used to assess the effectiveness of community safety partnerships; which have underperformed against these measures; and what assistance has been given to each underperforming partnership.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has performance management arrangements in place to measure the effectiveness of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in Wales and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) in England. Under these arrangements, challenging targets for crime reduction have been agreed with each CSP and CDRP and the Home Office and Government Offices/Welsh Assembly Government regularly monitor progress against them. The Home Office and Government Offices/Welsh Assembly Government also work with partnerships to support them in monitoring or improving performance. The targets are to be delivered by 200708.

Community Wardens

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision he has made to fund community wardens in neighbourhood renewal funding areas when the current funding period expires.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no plans to fund community wardens in neighbourhood renewal funding areas when the current funding period expires.

Companies (Ownership)

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what indications he has received from (a) companies whose headquarters are in the United Kingdom, (b) companies under the management or control of companies based in the European Union, (c) companies under the management or control of companies from the United States, (d) faith based organisations and (e) not-for-profit organisations regarding interest in bidding for contracts for the end-to-end management of offenders.

Fiona Mactaggart: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) engages with public, private and voluntary sector providers through a variety of channels. As a result some expressions of interest in providing future NOMS services have been received from all sectors. However these indications have been informal and non-specific in nature and therefore at this time, clarity as to the commercial and legal status of these organisations has not been obtained. In due course a more formal process will be undertaken, at which time it will be possible to be more specific, but in accordance with European Union procurement rules.

Designated Areas

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the police in designating the area specified in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Area) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005 No. 1866).

Paul Goggins: The Home Secretary met representatives of the Metropolitan Police to discuss the area to be designated . The area is based on the operational experience of the Metropolitan Police as to where demonstrations are likely to take place which hinder the proper operation of Parliament, cause a security risk, or are a risk to the safety of members of the public .

Elder Abuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of cases of elder abuse that occurred in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does, via the British Crime Survey (BCS), measure levels of violence against adults (ages 16 and over) in private households. The risks of being a victim of violence are published annually by age group for men and women. The most recent figures, based on the 200405 BCS, showed that the overall risk of being a victim of violence was less than one per cent for both men and women aged 65 or over.
	The risk of becoming a victim of violent crime was 0.4 per cent. for men aged 6574, 0.2 per cent. for men aged 75 or over, 0.5 per cent. for women aged 6574, and 0.5 per cent. for women aged 75 or over. In terms of domestic violence, the 200405 BCS indicates that the risk among men and women in these ages groups is low (0 per cent. and 0.1 per cent. among men and women aged 6574, respectively, and 0 per cent. for both men and women aged 75 and over).
	However, it is recognised that the core BCS measure of domestic violence may be an underestimate as some victims may be unwilling to report experience of domestic violence to an interviewer, and it does not cover adults living in institutions.

Harmondsworth Detention Centre

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees have (a) committed and (b) attempted suicide in Harmondsworth Detention Centre over the last six months; and how many of these detainees had been placed under suicide watch procedures.

Tony McNulty: There has been one apparently self-inflicted death at Harmondsworth in the last six months.
	Twenty-six detainees have self-harmed at Harmondsworth since the beginning of July 2005. Of these, five detainees were already on watch procedures prior to self-harming. Following each incident, the detainee concerned was placed on a watch.

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners on the home detention curfew scheme (HDCS) have sentences of four years and over; and what the exceptional circumstances were allowing entry into the HDCS in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: Prisoners serving sentences of four years or more whose offences were committed prior to 4 April 2005 are statutorily ineligible for release under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme. Those whose offences were committed on or after 4 April 2005 are not statutorily ineligible for release but are presumed unsuitable unless there are exceptional circumstances. No prisoners serving four years or more have been released on HDC.

Police Response Times

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time to an emergency call to the police was in Uxbridge in each year since 1998.

Hazel Blears: Data on time taken to respond to emergency calls is not collected centrally. This is essentially an operational matter for the commissioner and this query could therefore be directed to the Metropolitan police.

Polygamy

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men who were not UK citizens were permitted to enter the UK with more than one wife in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply. 
	Entry to the United Kingdom that results in the formation of a polygamous household is not permitted under the immigration rules. Therefore, no men have been given entry clearance to settle in the UK, or for other long-term purposes (.g students, work permit holders), with more than one wife.
	However, the immigration rules do not prevent polygamous households from entering the UK for the purpose of a visit. If an entry clearance officer overseas is satisfied that each applicant meets the requirements of paragraphs 40 and 41 of the immigration rules relating to visitors, they may grant a man and more than one of his wives entry clearance as visitors at the same time. UKvisas does not have a separate record of how many such visit visas are issued.

Polygamy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners who had committed two violent offences previously were released on parole in the last five years; and how many of those released reoffended (a) within two years and (b) within five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is not centrally collated. National two-year re-offending rates are published on the Home Office's website. The data relates to offenders who were discharged from prison or began a community sentence in the first quarter of 2002. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2505.pdf. Five-year re-offending rates are not available.
	Prisoner release rates are available from the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004 publication. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1705.pdf.

Prisoners

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) female and (b) male prisoners who declare themselves as Muslim were held in each prison establishment in England and Wales for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system, is provided in the following table.
	
		Number of declared Muslims held in each prison establishment
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			  M F M F M F M F M F 
		
		
			 Acklington 21 0 20 0 24 0 22 0 22 0 
			 Albany 14 0 18 0 18 0 20 0 25 0 
			 Altcourse 19 0 30 0 28 0 32 0 29 0 
			 Ashfield 19 0 6 0 5 0 7 0 9 0 
			 Ashwell 26 0 37 0 43 0 38 0 59 0 
			 Askham Grange 0 6 0 4 0 11 0 5 0 4 
			 Aylesbury 33 0 45 0 64 0 54 0 75 0 
			 Bedford 39 0 48 0 32 0 45 0 54 0 
			 Belmarsh 107 0 122 0 141 0 143 0 148 0 
			 Birmingham 104 0 97 0 135 0 188 0 160 0 
			 Blakenhurst 52 0 57 0 74 0 60 0 104 0 
			 Blantyre House 9 0 7 0 7 0 8 0 12 0 
			 Blundestone 49 0 44 0 41 0 57 0 75 0 
			 Brinsford 41 0 40 0 43 0 60 0 56 0 
			 Bristol 30 0 36 0 34 0 27 0 29 0 
			 Brixton 139 0 126 0 157 0 156 0 158 0 
			 Brockhill 0 9 0 11 0 4 0 10 0 4 
			 Bronzefield(37)   0 1 0 9 
			 Buckley Hall 36 0 0 2 0 10 0 8 0 5 
			 Bullingdon 66 0 104 0 121 0 122 0 134 0 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 6 0 4 0 6 0 8 0 3 
			 Camp Hill 51 0 51 0 68 0 71 0 61 0 
			 Canterbury 16 0 21 0 17 0 15 0 21 0 
			 Cardiff 41 0 37 0 37 0 39 0 48 0 
			 Castington 6 0 5 0 5 0 7 0 4 0 
			 Channings Wood 9 0 13 0 25 0 25 0 27 0 
			 Chelmsford 33 0 37 0 44 0 46 0 50 0 
			 Coldingley 43 0 38 0 39 0 42 0 42 0 
			 Cookham Wood 0 4 0 6 0 5 0 8 0 9 
			 Dartmoor 24 0 29 0 24 0 19 0 23 0 
			 Deerbolt 6 0 14 0 10 0 22 0 15 0 
			 Doncaster 60 0 74 0 68 0 92 0 85 0 
			 Dorchester 3 0 4 0 5 0 5 0 12 0 
			 Dovegate(38)   70 0 109 0 118 0 110 0 
			 Dover 23 0 63 0 168 0 105 0 138 0 
			 Downview 44 0 0 8 0 9 0 5 0 15 
			 Drake Hall 0 10 0 7 0 11 0 6 0 8 
			 Durham 10 1 12 1 26 1 23 2 17 0 
			 East Sutton Park 0 7 0 4 0 7 0 6 0 7 
			 Eastwood Park 0 8 0 4 0 3 0 3 0 7 
			 Edmunds Hill(39)   0 12 26 0 
			 Elmley 73 0 65 0 71 0 58 0 82 0 
			 Erlestoke 21 0 14 0 26 0 19 0 31 0 
			 Everthorpe 22 0 30 0 50 0 51 0 44 0 
			 Exeter 4 0 7 0 5 0 14 0 15 0 
			 Featherstone 46 0 58 0 69 0 64 0 84 0 
			 Feltham 119 0 114 0 96 0 140 0 138 0 
			 Ford 27 0 47 0 49 0 46 0 53 0 
			 Forest Bank 27 0 60 0 74 0 85 0 65 0 
			 Foston Hall 0 5 0 3 0 5 0 8 0 7 
			 Frankland 57 0 52 0 62 0 56 0 63 0 
			 Full Sutton 67 0 61 0 67 0 81 0 84 0 
			 Garth 45 0 50 0 72 0 70 0 86 0 
			 Gartree 17 0 19 0 17 0 31 0 47 0 
			 Glen Parva 30 0 43 0 42 0 40 0 57 0 
			 Gloucester 10 0 12 0 15 0 10 0 15 0 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 35 0 37 0 59 0 64 0 64 0 
			 Guys Marsh 18 0 24 0 34 0 33 0 31 0 
			 Haslar 60 0 47 0 85 0 45 0 50 0 
			 Hatfield(40) 17 0 13 0   
			 Haverigg 9 0 23 0 23 0 33 0 43 0 
			 Hewell Grange 20 0 13 0 17 0 18 0 34 0 
			 Highdown 65 0 60 0 53 0 62 0 93 0 
			 Highpoint(41) 66 6 49 12   98 0 106 0 
			 Highpoint North 0 8 
			 Highpoint South 73 0 
			 Hindley 48 0 29 0 40 0 48 0 29 0 
			 Hollesley Bay/Warren Hill 25 0 26 0 23 0 18 0 32 0 
			 Holloway 0 18 0 24 0 20 0 16 0 29 
			 Holme House 41 o 27 0 21 0 19 0 49 0 
			 Hull 6 0 17 0 40 0 29 0 48 0 
			 Huntercombe 27 0 41 0 18 0 43 0 42 0 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 8 0 18 0 15 0 8 0 11 0 
			 Kirkham 35 0 37 0 43 0 45 0 54 0 
			 Kirklevington 17 0 9 0 17 0 16 0 20 0 
			 Lancaster 7 0 12 0 8 0 11 0 7 0 
			 Lancaster Farms 14 0 22 0 21 0 28 0 26 0 
			 Latchmere House 22 0 26 0 27 0 33 0 29 0 
			 Leeds 122 0 154 0 132 0 134 0 132 0 
			 Leicester 19 0 36 0 33 0 31 0 28 0 
			 Lewes 26 0 17 0 18 0 17 0 17 0 
			 Leyhill 17 0 15 0 24 0 50 0 31 0 
			 Lincoln 6 0 12 0 7 0 15 0 19 0 
			 Lindholme 90 0 104 0 91 0 77 0 118 0 
			 Littlehey 45 0 46 0 41 0 50 0 55 0 
			 Liverpool 64 0 78 0 68 0 59 0 68 0 
			 Long Lartin 50 0 68 0 60 0 58 0 66 0 
			 Low Newton 0 3   0 5 0 3 0 8 
			 Lowdham Grange 58 0 66 0 68 0 67 0 62 0 
			 Maidstone 17 0 38 0 38 0 39 0 60 0 
			 Manchester 88 0 107 0 111 0 118 0 130 0 
			 Moorland 58 0 86 0 103 0 78 0 87 0 
			 Moorland Open(40) 27 0 39 0 22 0 
			 Morton Hall 0 5 0 4 0 8 0 9 0 11 
			 New Hall 0 6 0 5 0 1 0 4 0 6 
			 North Sea Camp 5 0 15 0 21 0 22 0 20 0 
			 Northallerton 15 0 13 0 9 0 9 0 12 0 
			 Norwich 27 0 32 0 47 0 61 0 56 0 
			 Nottingham 19 0 24 0 31 0 53 0 38 0 
			 Onley 37 0 31 0 52 0 47 0 52 0 
			 Pare 24 0 9 0 22 0 29 0 34 0 
			 Parkhurst 50 0 69 0 64 0 61 0 46 0 
			 Pentonville 184 0 191 0 194 0 219 0 218 0 
			 Peterborough(42) 26 6 
			 Portland 40 0 44 0 51 0 78 0 76 0 
			 Preston 38 0 39 0 30 0 47 0 52 0 
			 Ranby 59 0 50 0 40 0 63 0 71 0 
			 Reading 17 0 17 0 16 0 16 0 19 0 
			 Risley 50 0 62 0 83 0 88 0 65 0 
			 Rochester 113 0 13 0 20 0 33 0 62 0 
			 Rye Hill 77 0 91 0 84 0 104 0 124 0 
			 Send 0 10 0 12 0 9 0 16 0 15 
			 Shepton Mallet 5 0 7 0 10 0 10 0 8 0 
			 Shrewsbury 14 0 14 0 15 0 13 0 24 0 
			 Stafford 46 0 46 0 51 0 45 0 47 0 
			 Standford Hill 32 0 43 0 57 0 53 0 48 0 
			 Stocken 46 0 48 0 57 0 56 0 45 0 
			 Stoke Heath 9 0 21 0 28 0 34 0 39 0 
			 Styal 0 4 0 10 0 3 0 10 0 11 
			 Sudbury 60 0 65 0 67 0 76 0 57 0 
			 Swaleside 85 0 98 0 104 0 126 0 132 0 
			 Swansea 2 0 4 0 6 0 3 0 6 0 
			 Swinfen Hall 24 0 22 0 31 0 47 0 72 0 
			 The Mount 116 0 126 0 127 0 111 0 125 0 
			 The Verne 23 0 27 0 21 0 46 0 60 0 
			 The Weare 27 0 26 0 15 0 37 0   
			 The Wolds 17 0 14 0 18 0 29 0 22 0 
			 Thorn Cross 1 1 0 22 0 16 0 29 0 30 
			 Usk/Prescoed 2 0 8 0 14 0 14 0 15 0 
			 Wakefield 24 0 29 0 29 0 25 0 31 0 
			 Wandsworth 181 0 190 0 180 0 185 0 210 0 
			 Warren Hill(43) 19 0 16 0 23 0 
			 Wayland 47 0 59 0 79 0 74 0 69 0 
			 Wealstun 83 0 62 0 59 0 38 0 91 0 
			 Wellingborough 29 0 45 0 53 0 45 0 49 0 
			 Warrington(44) 5 0 6 0 10 0 
			 Wetherby 14 0 33 0 18 0 10 0 26 0 
			 Whatton 10 0 8 0 18 0 17 0 18 0 
			 Whitemoor 76 0 85 0 73 0 73 0 74 0 
			 Winchester 36 2 19 1 22 2 26 0 17 0 
			 Woodhill 55 0 64 0 88 0 93 0 98 0 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 130 0 148 0 154 0 201 0 237 0 
			 Wymott 34 0 58 0 48 0 47 0 66 0 
			 Total 4,916 110 5,380 122 6,008 129 6,431 139 7,082 164 
		
	
	(37) Bronzefield opened June 2004
	(38) Dovegate opened July 2001
	(39) Highpoint North became Edmunds Hill in October 2003
	(40) Hatfield was renamed Moorland Open in 2002
	(41) Highpoint was divided into Highpoint North (female) and Highpoint South (male)
	(42) Peterborough opened in March 2005
	(43) Warren Hill opened as a separate prison in August 2002, was formerly part of Hollesley Bay
	(44) Warrington has only young persons

Prisoners

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are to be deported upon their release; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The immigration and nationality directorate (IND) considers the cases of foreign nationals sentenced to a term of imprisonment to determine their liability to removal and whether removal is appropriate.
	As each prisoner's case is assessed on its own merits, it is not possible to predict how many will be deported at the end of their custodial sentences.

Probation Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes he has made to the arrangements for probation officers interviewing offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The National Probation Directorate at the Home Office updates its guidance to the Probation Service from time-to-time but there has not recently been a significant change in relation to interviewing offenders.

Probation Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the proposed changes to police boundaries on the national probation service.

Fiona Mactaggart: We will consider how best the probation service, as well as the wider criminal justice system, can take into account changes to police structures once final decisions on future police boundaries have been taken. Co-terminosity in the criminal justice system remains an important principle.

Shoot to Kill Policy

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the status is of the Metropolitan Police Service's policy on shooting to kill suspected suicide bombers.

Hazel Blears: All police use of firearms is subject to the usual law on the use of force. In particular, the Criminal Law Act 1967 provides that the police may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances to effect an arrest or to prevent crime. The law applies to the operational tactics developed by police to deal with suspected suicide bombers as it does in any other case.

Speed Cameras

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was collected through fines from speed cameras in each local authority in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Information on the total revenue from speed camera convictions is not collected centrally. The information collected by RDS-OCJR identifies the number of fixed penalties ordered to be paid and the number and amounts of court fines issued for such offences within each police force area. Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.
	According to the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the 200506 national fines payment rate target is 81 per cent. and performance is currently on trajectory to achieve this.

Suicide

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees have committed suicide in (a) Harmondsworth and (b) Yarl's Wood in the last five years; and if he will list the nationalities of each.

Tony McNulty: There have been two apparently self-inflicted deaths at Harmondsworth in the last five years. The nationalities of the two people concerned were Ukrainian and Eritrean respectively.
	There has been one apparently self-inflicted death at Yarl's Wood in the last five years. The nationality of the person concerned was Angolan.